Crawford Country Day
by hanabananana
Summary: Kurt is forced to spy on New Direction's competition, the glee club of Crawford Country Day, an all girls private school. Amongst hiding his identity as a boy, Kurt also has to try not to fall in love with a certain guy who keeps showing up. Klaine
1. Chapter 1

**Ahem, so this is my first Glee fic. Also a little different from my usual style since it's a lot more light-hearted and romance based so it has a lot more dialogue than I would usually use.  
>But yeah, enjoy folks and remember, I don't own Glee!<strong>

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><p>The glee club was in chaos as usual and with Mr Schue off ill, Rachel had taken the decision that she would take charge of the club much to everyone's disagreement. A hurricane of voices had taken over, everyone stating their opinions with no regard as to who else was talking or even listening. However their traditional arguments of who would sing solo and which artist to pay tribute to were put aside when a new threat had arisen.<p>

"Crawford Country Day," was all Rachel had initially said upon storming into the rehearsal room with a scowl and placing a pamphlet of the aforementioned school on Finn's lap for him to take a look before passing it around the group.  
>"It's an all-girls private school and from what I can gather, a school for rich preppy girls whose <em>daddies<em> pay for scholarship." When the rest of the group merely stared blankly at her, Rachel sighed and continued. "They're our competition for Sectionals!" she stated as if this was obvious. "And they're good, like, Vocal Adrenaline good."

"Then how come we've never heard of them until now?" Quinn asked calmly with an air of smugness about her. "Sectionals is 2 weeks away."

"They _were _disqualified from entering any show choir competitions after an incident that occurred a few years back but they were reconsidered since the girls who were behind it were finally expelled."

"What exactly did they…do?" Finn asked tentatively, Rachel sighed.

"All I could find out was something about 'improper use of laxatives'," she said gesturing with air quotes and the whole club cringed, clearly not needing any more information. Everyone except for Puck that is, who seemed highly amused.

"Man," he said through a smile "If these chicks weren't about to kick our asses, I would _so_ give them a high five!"

"They're _not_ going to kick our asses Puck," Rachel chided with confidence. "And they are most certainly not going to be pulling any of the same tricks again. And to make sure that they don't, I suggest that we spy."

That was when the chaotic hurricane of arguments returned and spanned out of control. If Mr Schue had been present then Rachel would never have dreamed of putting forward the idea of spying yet as he _was _absent, it was the perfect opportunity to take a peek at the opposition. Most of the group were for the idea yet several remained hesitant.  
>"Guys, guys, guys!" Rachel yelled, attempting to still the chaos.<p>

"It just seems a little shady Rachel," Finn added once the noise had lessened "If we beat them because we spied on them, it wouldn't feel like we won at all." Several others, including Mercedes nodded in agreement to this. "We've worked too hard."

"Yeah well we worked hard last year too and what did we get? An omelette served on Rachel's head and beaten by Vocal Adrenaline," Kurt countered "I say we spy," he finished, not looking at the others and instead focusing his attention on his fingernails.

"Thank you Kurt," Rachel continued after grimacing at the memory. "I say we put it to a vote, all those in favor of spying, please raise your hands." The majority of the club, much to Rachel's satisfaction, raised their hands in silence. Smiling, she addressed the three with their arms still planted on their laps. "And all those opposed…" Finn, Mercedes and Sam were the only ones, their hands held high. "Not that it matters, sorry guys but majority rules!"

"How do you propose that we spy on a private school anyway? Won't they have body guards at the gate or something?" Santana questioned, liking the idea of spying but not the fact that Rachel had come up with it.

"All we have to do is find a uniform, pretend to be a student and join their glee club. It'll be best if only one of us goes though, that way it's less obvious."

"So who's the spy?" was the question on everyone's lips, including Finn, Mercedes and Sam who had no choice but to go along with the plan. Rachel surveyed the group until her eyes eventually settled on one particular student, seated in the back row, still examining his flawless manicure.

"Kurt."

Silence.

Everyone's heads slowly turned to the back of the room where Kurt sat, legs crossed and eyes wide.

"Excuse me?" he demanded after blinking several times. "Maybe you didn't read the pamphlet properly Rachel, but it's a _girl's_ school…for girls!"

"Kurt, just hear me out," Rachel pleaded, moving towards him from the piano. "You're the best singer here, aside from me of course, so you'll have no problem auditioning for their club, plus you'll be able to…"

"If that's the case then what's stopping _you_ from doing it?" Kurt interrupted. The rest of the club merely stared dumbly at the exchange, entirely confused at Rachel's choice in spy. "You'd fit in far better than I could, unfortunately my gender will cause me to stick out like a sore thumb," Kurt finished hotly.

"No!" Rachel persisted "I can't be the spy, none of us girls can; they'll recognize us instantly when we get to Sectionals and who knows what they'd do to us if they found out we spied…" everyone's thoughts inevitably drifted to the 'improper use of laxatives' and there was a wordless agreement that they must not be caught. "If you disguised yourself then there's no way they'll know it's you!" Kurt said nothing but instead hated himself for seeing that Rachel had a point. "And any of the other boys here are out of the question. You're the only one who won't try hitting on every single girl there." She eyed Puck at this statement before continuing, "And can you seriously imagine any of them pulling off a skirt as well as you?"

Kurt had to smile at this. It was true; he could pull off any outfit but that was beside the point, he couldn't pretend to be a girl, despite how feminine he may seem at times. Girls and feminine guys are two completely different types of people. "Come on Kurt, we need you," Rachel finished pleadingly.

"You want me to dress up like a girl?" He asked plainly. No one replied. "And parade myself to a school full of psycho-maniacs?" The glee club remained uncharacteristically silent as Kurt spoke and simply stared expectantly.

Yet upon seeing everyone's awaiting faces, Kurt sighed and gave in.

"FINE," he growled exasperatedly through gritted teeth. Rachel stood and clapped her hands together in triumph whilst the rest of the group expressed gratitude by swarming Kurt with pats on the back and a chorus of "We owe you man."

Rachel resumed her position at the front of the class, imitating Mr Schue's dominance over the club.

"Good," she continued in her charade of leadership. "Kurt, on Monday, instead of coming to Glee you will instead go to Crawford Country Day after school and audition for their glee club. You have the whole week to participate in their rehearsals and gain as much information as possible. Oh! And if you could somehow sabotage their performance, that'd be great too." Rachel instructed, loving her new found power. "You have the weekend to put together a uniform and a disguise. Class dismissed." And with that, Rachel turned on her heel and left the room.

Kurt's head instinctively fell to his hands. What had he gotten himself into? No what had _Rachel_ gotten him into? The club had begun to disperse as Mercedes and Tina approached him with plans for the weekend.

"Traitor!" Mercedes remarked jokingly as she had been opposed to the whole idea of spying from the start. Kurt glared at the girl as she was obviously enjoying his pain in the way that only best friends are allowed to in such situations.  
>"Come on," she said with a much more friendly tone, taking hold of his wrist and dragging him out of the choir room. "We're going shopping tomorrow for your uniform and then you're staying at mine with Tina to admire how good you'll look!" Mercedes knew that bribing Kurt with shopping and admiration will always get results and predictably, he perked up immediately as they made their ways through the hallways of McKinley to the car park where they made final arrangements for the following day and departed ways.<p>

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><p>"Please come out Kurt?" Tina begged at the bathroom door along with Mercedes who were both impatiently anticipating seeing Kurt in his Crawford uniform.<p>

"No way!" came the muffled reply from behind the door. "No way in hell girls, you can call Rachel Berry right now and tell her I'm not doing this." The two girls shared a look of unease; Kurt was never one to be shy, especially when it concerned fashion.

"Kurt, I'm sure you look fine, can we please see?" Mercedes tried to reassure him.

"Oh I look amazing, but there's no way I'm going out in public dressed like this," he scoffed.

"Oh come _on!_ Since when are you self-conscious? You willingly dressed as Lady Gaga to school last month, how could this possibly be any different?" Mercedes pressed. Though she was initially against spying, Mercedes simply couldn't resist dressing Kurt up and was eager to see the result of their day spent shopping.

"I look like a drag queen!" The boy moaned and the girls couldn't stifle a giggle at his tortured tone.

"Just pretend you're an extra in the Rocky Horror Picture Show!" Tina reasoned, just as eager as Mercedes to see Kurt's outfit to which Kurt responded with a swift "_Not helping!"_

"You haven't even got your wig on yet! I'm sure you'll look perfect when you're finished." There was a brief pause after Mercedes had spoken which was shortly broken by yet another angry outburst from Kurt.

"You expect me to wear a…! Do you have any idea what wearing a wig all day will do to my _hair?"_ Neither Mercedes or Tina new quite how to respond, both knew how protective Kurt was over his immaculate hair and there was no denying that wearing a wig would certainly compromise his perfectly sculpted style.

"It's the only way it make sure they won't recognize you..." Mercedes offered. There was yet another pause, slightly longer as Kurt considered what his weekend had become. The girl's considered giving up and calling Rachel for help when Kurt finally mumbled a reply through the still locked bathroom door.

"What kind of wig?" Mercedes and Tina smiled at one another and Mercedes gestured to the other to grab her bag.

"Open the door and we'll show you," She said, barely masking her excitement and when the door finally clicked to announce that Kurt had unlocked it, she rushed in to take stock of him. He was perched on the toilet seat, beside the door. His arms were crossed and a scowl that looked on the verge of becoming permanent was painted across his face as he glared at Mercedes. Tina joined a second afterwards and both squealed with delight at the boy's appearance. Their efforts had certainly paid off as the uniform was next to perfect. The long sleeved blouse had not been particularly difficult to find along with the navy vest and the blue striped tie. The challenge had been the blue kilt however Tina proved herself a worthy shopping accomplice as she led them to a store located a little way outside the mall who supplied a range of gothic fashion, tartan kilts included.

Luckily the Crawford Country Day uniform left a lot to the imagination so Kurt's flat chest was forgiven. If anyone had forced fake boobs upon him, he would have bolted for the door in a flash.

"You look fantastic Kurt and totally believable!" Tina exclaimed, pulling him to his feet to get a full view.

"My pantyhose are itchy," was all Kurt could offer for a reply. They had considered going for knee high socks however that may have proved a little risky since the kilt was somewhat short. As Kurt was readjusting himself, Tina unpacked the contents of her bag to reveal her vast selection of wigs for the boy to choose from.

"Wha…how do you have so many?" Kurt asked halfway through adjusting his pantyhose for about the fifth time since pulling them on, clearly impressed by Tina's collection. Tina merely shrugged and tossed him one to try on. It was the short blonde that she had worn to complete her Gaga outfit not too long ago. Kurt fitted it on and inspected himself in the mirror, surprisingly eager despite his previous protests. He wasn't as opposed to wearing a wig as he had made out to be, he was merely grumpy at letting others decide his outfit.

"No, definitely not blonde," Kurt decided after brushing and styling it slightly. "My eyebrows stand out too much," he justified before pulling it off and handing it back to Tina, who pulled several more from her bag.

After at least half an hour of trying on countless wigs of varying styles and colour, Kurt had finally decided on a wavy brown, almost identical to his own hair colour with a side parting, reaching down to his middle back. He was pretty certain he'd choose this particular wig the first time he tried it on but Tina had brought such a wide collection that Kurt couldn't help but try on each of them. The others joined in by trying on the rejected wigs and Kurt's mood certainly improved.

When he had finally decided on the wavy brown, the girls brought him to stand before the full length mirror in Mercedes' room. Kurt had to admit, he _did_ make a rather convincing girl, despite how ridiculous he felt. The two girls stood beside him admiring their work

"Last but not least," Mercedes grinned, moving towards her dresser and pulling out a small purple bag "Makeup!" Kurt groaned, knowing that this was coming and was reluctantly dragged over to sit at the dresser by Tina. Mercedes didn't go overboard, merely added a touch of concealer before applying a little eyeliner and some mascara.

"Perfect," the two girls said in unison once they were finished.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed chapter 1! Reviews make my day!<br>..**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the kind reviews for chapter one! I wasn't expecting such a good response, I'm so glad you liked it!**

**I know there's a bit of a geography fail, what with Westerville** **being 2 hours from** **Lima (I think?) but they don't seem to address this fact in the show so I may have ignored that fact in regards to this fic...**

**anywho, without further ado, enjoy chapter 2!**

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><p>Monday had passed far too quickly for Kurt's liking and once school had ended, he found himself hiding in the back of his car, parked far away from where any McKinley or Crawford student would find him, frantically changing into his makeshift uniform. When he would usually be cheerfully socialising with his fellow glee members, he found himself scrambling in the back seat, looking for his tie.<p>

Once dressed and had fitted his wig, Kurt made his way back to the front seat to check his appearance in the mirror. After flattening and securing his hair once more, he began the application of his makeup. He soon finished and checked himself out in the mirror once more and couldn't resist pouting his lips as he inspected his female face, somewhat pleased with how good his disguise was. Okay, so maybe Kurt wasn't as opposed to this as he had initially been, granted he did feel like slightly idiotic pretending to be a girl, but no one would realise he was boy, right? Let alone recognize him as Kurt Hummel.

Just as Kurt had started up his car to be on his way again, a blue sports car drove by, blasting R&B at an obnoxious volume. The guy in the passenger seat wolf-whistled in his direction as the driver, a muscled Jock-type from the looks of him, slowed the car down to check Kurt out, grinning smugly. The guy could certainly make use of some lessons in subtlety.

Kurt was in the right mind to yell back a snarky response yet stopped himself before any words came out. These two guys had been completely fooled by his disguise to the extent that they would actually _hit_ on him. Maybe he might just get away with this after all. Besides, this sort of attention from guys wasn't _entirely_ unwelcome in Kurt's opinion. Instead, he smiled winked at them before pulling away, feeling an odd surge of confidence.

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><p>Wow.<p>

Kurt was speechless, though he had nobody to express his utter astonishment to at the school before him, he would not have been able to conjure up words even if he had. Getting into the school was easy, and no one batted an eyelid at Kurt as he strolled the halls with purpose as if he owned the place. In reality however, he was entirely lost. The hallways were so vast that it was difficult to interpret them as belonging to a school rather than a palace. Each leading to a row of classrooms, or a further string of corridors.

Yet 'school corridors' was hardly a befitting name for the hallways of Crawford Country Day. The polished wooden floors echoed Kurt's footsteps as he traversed, looking in vain for any sign of a glee club. The walls were a soft brown and several portraits hung upon them, framed immaculately. At the far end of the corridor hung two, long, shiny black plaques framed in gold, taking up almost the whole wall space. Above both plaques was a third with the title _'Senior Prefects of Crawford Country Day'_ and listed in flawless gold cursive was a series of names, one after the other with a date next to them dating all the way back to 1922. Kurt scanned the names, admiring the history of the school when his eyes stopped on one particular name.

1982-Elizabeth Moore

_Mom?_

The letters seemed somewhat more golden than those of the other names, gleaming prominently against the plaque. Kurt trembled, his mother had attended Crawford? Much less had been a senior prefect? He reached out and pressed two fingertips against her name. How was it possible to know so little about her? The boy was suddenly overcome by a wave of guilt. Had she been in their glee club during her days here? He was aware that she had had a passion for musical theatre that would rival his own so it was more than possible. Was Kurt about to spy on her legacy? He gazed at her name sadly and whispered a delicate apology before turning to find his way again.

Crawford's final period finished a little later than McKinley's, leaving Kurt just enough time to hurry to the former before any after-school clubs began. The final bell was about to go and Kurt braced himself for the tsunami of students that would thus hit him. However when the classroom door to his left opened, Kurt was much surprised as a group of girls left the room, giggling and chatting quietly. Many more students emerged just as calmly. There was no shoving, no yelling, everyone was merely headed to where they needed to go in what could only be described as an orderly fashion. Was Rachel serious? Kurt was finding it extremely difficult to believe that these girls were as troublesome as she made them out to be.

Hesitantly, Kurt approached a group of girls who were lingering outside their classroom. A tall brunette appeared to be in mid-conversation with a much shorter dark haired girl. However once closer, it became apparent that they were in fact having a quiet dispute. Was this place for real? They even argued politely. Kurt felt as though he had stepped into an alternate universe and silently admired the superiority the school had over McKinley.

"Um, excuse me..." he said nervously, gaining the girls' attention, raising his voice a semitone higher than his already high-pitched tone. "I was wondering if you knew where the glee club rehearsals are held?" he asked expectantly. Several of the girls stared at him incredulously, the brunette even laughed spitefully and Kurt immediately came to the decision that he had asked the wrong girls. Perhaps the students were just as tolerant to the glee club here as they were at McKinley. The dark haired girl was about to offer an answer but was interrupted swiftly by the brunette who took a step towards Kurt.

"Clearly you're new here, we don't have _'glee'_ at Crawford," she replied smugly, eyeing him with a cunning grin. Kurt frowned, had Rachel sent him to the wrong place? How was he supposed to spy on a school that didn't even _have_ a glee club? "Unless of course you were referring to the _Crawford Cantata_, and if you were, we really would appreciate it if you wouldn't call us 'glee'. We're not a bunch of happy misfits who sing for the sake of it, we take show choir seriously and the school takes _us_ seriously. We sing to win."

Kurt returned the Brunette's glare just as intensely as he immediately decided he disliked her.

"Well if you could kindly show me to your rehearsal room, I'd love to audition," Kurt replied with a faux smile.

"Whatever," The girl answered unkindly, as she rolled her eyes. "Catherine will show you the way I don't have time for this," She ordered before marching past him without bothering to indicate which of the other girls was Catherine. Two of the others followed after her leaving only the dark haired girl and an annoyed looking blonde who stood beside her. Kurt sighed, finally understanding Rachel's prejudice towards these _'rich preppy girls'_ as she had described them.

"That would be me," the dark haired girl said somewhat gloomily, walking past him after offering what may have been a friendly smile, though Kurt was anxious to interpret it as so after his first encounter with a Crawford student. Yet he had no choice but to follow her and the blonde as they led him through the maze of hallways.  
>"Sorry about Amy," Catherine continued once Kurt had caught up. "She's what some may label as a sociopath and what most would describe simply as a bitch." She and the blonde laughed softly whilst Kurt remained silent. "I'm Catherine, though you already knew that, and this is Steph." The blonde gave a small smile as she tagged along behind them both and Catherine looked at him in anticipation for an introduction. Kurt opened his mouth to speak before he froze, how could he have neglected to come up with a name? Struggling to pluck just one simple name out of his mind, he realized the two girls were still looking at him worriedly.<p>

"Kur..sty," he said lamely. "I'm Kirsty, I just transferred." Kurt mentally slapped himself for his spectacular failed attempt at naming himself as suddenly a swarm of better suited girl's names flooded his mind. Well, at least Kirsty was easy to remember, though arguably too obvious a name choice.

"Nice to meet you!" Catherine smiled warmly, allowing Kurt to feel a little more at ease "I have to warn you though, if you're serious on joining the Cantata, it's definitely no walk in the park. I only stay because of my love for singing. Though, Steph…" She paused, looking sadly at her friend.

"I quit just now." Steph finished bitterly. "I'm absolutely sick of that club, by the way, thanks for sticking up for me back there Cath."

"Anytime, though if Kirsty hadn't approached us I'd have probably gotten myself kicked out with you," she mentioned with a sad laugh, "Amy does _not_ appreciate people quitting the club."

"So she hates me for wanting to join and she hates you for quitting? I'm guessing there's no pleasing this girl?" Kurt prompted, attempting to learn more about this Amy in order to report back to Rachel.

"It's not that she hates you for wanting to join, It's just that so many people audition and most don't get in, regardless of how good they are, she seeks perfection and she won't acknowledge you unless she deems you good enough. Now with sectionals coming up, her attitude has only gotten worse." Kurt nodded as he committed the information to his memory.

The three continued in silence until they reached a large classroom which Kurt presumed was the rehearsal room.

"I'll see you back at the dorm tonight, good luck in your audition Kirsty!" Steph waved goodbye as she departed, seemingly happy that she was able to walk away from the rehearsal room. Catherine offered another smile before opening the door.

The first thing Kurt noticed was how much bigger the room was than what he was used to at McKinley. On the right was a sleek, black grand piano amongst an array of other instruments, polished to the point where they looked unused. On the opposite side of the enormous room was a small stage at which Amy sat surrounded by the rest of the girls, resting her head on her hand and generally looking bored. Three leather sofas were placed in the middle and several stacks of wooden chairs were gathered by the window though they also looked relatively unused.

There was a clear separation between the band and the singers. Whilst the members of The Crawford Cantata were warming up their voices, the band members sat amongst the instruments, tuning and chatting quietly to each other, both groups of girls keeping to themselves.

Upon seeing Kurt and Catherine enter, Amy stood and the others immediately fell silent.

"Take a seat girls, we have _another_ audition, we'll get started right after," she said with a tone that demanded obedience from the other girls as they did as they were told. "Well, the stage is yours newbie, I sincerely hope you don't waste my time."

"It's Kirsty," Kurt remarked before turning on his heel towards the stage. "And I'll be singing 'Don't Cry for me Argentina' from Evita." Kurt faced the group of girls and took a deep breath. All of his efforts so far would be ruined if he wasn't accepted into the club. This audition mattered. He released a breath that he was unaware of holding before beginning softly. The clubs full attention focused solely on him.

_It won't be easy, you'll think it strange  
>When I try to explain how I feel<br>That I still need your love after all that I've done  
>You won't believe me<br>All you will see is the girl you once knew  
>Although she's dressed up to the nines<br>At sixes and sevens with you_

Kurt felt at ease once he had gotten through the first verse, his muscles relaxing as he fell into the lyrics. His confidence boosted at seeing some of the girls smiling slightly.

_I had to let it happen, I had to change  
>Couldn't stay all my life down at heel<br>Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun_

_So I chose freedom_  
><em>Running around trying everything new<em>  
><em>But nothing impressed me at all<em>  
><em>I never expected it to<em>

The band members looked at each other knowingly as they picked up their instruments. The harpist gave a nod as they accompanied Kurt's voice with a rush of music. The added effect only built Kurt's confidence further as he was completely engulfed by the song.

_Don't cry for me Argentina  
>The truth is I never left you<br>All through my wild days  
>My mad existence<br>I kept my promise  
>Don't keep your distance<em>

_And as for fortune, and as for fame_  
><em>I never invited them in<em>  
><em>Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired<em>  
><em>They are illusions<em>  
><em>They're not the solutions they promised to be<em>  
><em>The answer was here all the time<em>  
><em>I love you and hope you love me<em>

_Don't cry for me Argentina_  
><em>The truth is I never left you<em>  
><em>All through my wild days<em>  
><em>My mad existence<em>  
><em>I kept my promise<em>  
><em>Don't keep your distance<em>

_Have I said too much?_  
><em>There's nothing more I can think of to say to you<em>  
><em>But all you have to do is look at me to know that<em>  
><em>Every word is true<em>

Kurt allowed the band to finish before taking a bow as the group applauded him.

"A mezzo-soprano," Amy commented; she was visibly impressed by Kurt's performance. "Okay, you'll do, we were in need of another member anyway," she smiled, and it wasn't a sarcastic or spiteful smile that Kurt was accustomed to, this seemed genuine. "Welcome to The Crawford Cantata!"

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><p>"Wow Kirsty! You were absolutely amazing!" Catherine gushed as they left the rehearsal room. Kurt merely smiled; he never really was too worried about getting past the audition stage. "No seriously, even <em>Amy<em> was impressed! And nothing impresses her! With you in our group, Sectionals is a sure win!"

Kurt _almost_ found himself feeling bad. Catherine had been nothing but helpful and he was giving her false hope for the upcoming competition. If it wasn't for girls like Amy and the majority of the Crawford Cantata, which he had discovered were all minions of Amy's, he would have surely reconsidered his actions.

"So do you dorm here or live off campus?" Catherine inquired, smiling brightly at Kurt who couldn't help but smile back.

"I live off campus, I drive up from Lima," he replied.

"Oh cool! I'll walk with you to the car park!" she decided cheerfully. "I dorm here but I'm meeting my brother today, we used to be so close before I came to Crawford so we try to meet up as often as possible," she explained as the two walked together.

They chatted the whole way to the car park, finding a common ground to discuss was relatively easy, though Kurt usually found this to be the case when talking with girls.

"You're really cool Kirsty! Maybe we should meet up after school some time?" Catherine asked as the emerged from the school, though Kurt had ceased paying attention. Instead his focus was entirely directed towards the curly haired boy who leaned against his car, checking his phone, seemingly out of place at an all girl's school.

"Kirsty…?" Catherine asked, stopping outside the front entrance.

"Huh…wha?" was all Kurt could manage for a reply as the girl followed his gaze to the same boy.

"Oh my god, _please_ don't tell me you have the hots for my brother as well?" she laughed. "That's pretty much everyone I know here, Including Steph!" She seemed highly amused by the whole ordeal as Kurt tore his gaze away, his cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"No…I was just…"

"Don't even try to lie!" Catherine laughed again, "But he's unattainable anyway, sorry!" Kurt wasn't surprised though he couldn't say he wasn't disappointed.

"So he has a girlfriend?" he asked, trying to mask his disappointment.

"No," she replied nonchalantly, "He's gay."

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><p><strong>an**  
><strong>-I chose the name 'Elizabeth' for Kurt's mother due to Kurt's supposed middle name.<strong>  
><strong>-The song is 'Don't Cry for me Argentina' which Kurt sang at his Dalton audition so I felt it was the obvious choice to use here.<br>..**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh look at that, I pooped out another chapter.**

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><p>'<em>Blaine…' <em>Kurt thought to himself as he sat comfortably on his sofa, not paying attention to the football game that his dad was entirely engrossed in. The name refused to leave his mind ever since the boy in question had cheerfully introduced himself earlier that day. Maybe it was the fact that he was available _and_ gay that made Kurt unable to stop thinking about him, or perhaps it was simply because he was the most amazingly good looking guy he'd ever seen. Kurt couldn't decide as he sighed to himself, knowing that he was being ridiculous, Blaine didn't actually know him; he had met Kirsty, not Kurt.

The entire experience at Crawford had left Kurt visibly drained as he considered everything that had happened and Burt glanced worriedly over at him several times, breaking eye contact with the television set.

"Hey kiddo, you okay?" he asked, finally bringing up the matter. "You're not acting yourself, bad day at school?"

Kurt looked up, as his thoughts were interrupted before shaking his head in response.

"School's fine dad, I'm just exhausted that's all." He smiled reassuringly yet Burt was not convinced.

"Those bullies still harassing you?" Burt pressed whilst his son merely shrugged

"No more than usual, I'm okay, really," Kurt replied honestly.

"You know you can tell me anything buddy, if something's up I want you to let me know." Kurt smiled again at his dad.

"I know."

The two sat in silence once more as Burt refocused his attention back towards the game. Kurt considered what his father had said as his mind wandered back to the shiny black plaques he had admired back at Crawford.  
>"Dad…" he said quietly as his father one again turned to look at him. "You never told me that mom went to Crawford Country Day…" Burt blinked several times before smiling brightly.<p>

"Crawford Country Day, now that's something I haven't heard in a long time. Yeah, Your mom attended there, she was even a senior-"

"A senior prefect, I know," Kurt finished as Burt stared in confusion at his son

"How do you know all this?" he questioned and Kurt's eyes grew wide as he had to come up with a lie.

"I…went online and found their website. Their glee club is competing against us at sectionals this year so I did a little research," Kurt lied hesitantly as Burt laughed.

"Well make sure you destroy them, your mother _hated_ those glee girls!" Kurt's grin widened as he found himself immensely relieved. His father then proceeded to explain some of the stories that he could remember her telling him countless years ago. Kurt loved how happy his Dad seemed in retelling them and the two reminisced until past midnight, Burt's football game and Kurt's homework entirely abandoned.

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><p>The next day, Kurt stood at his locker at McKinley tiredly, attempting to locate his History book within the cluttered space.<p>

"So!" Rachel's eager voice interrupted Kurt's intense concentration as he stood at his locker, gazing into the void of books. "What did you find out my little spy?" she asked bluntly, getting straight to the point.

"Rachel, I've been to one rehearsal, be patient!" he exclaimed, finding his history book hidden beneath an emergency spare set of clothes.

"Kurt, I want to know everything, every little detail and the only way for that to happen is if you report to me every morning, now spill." Kurt rolled his eyes as he shut his locker and faced Rachel, who had a notepad and pen in hand. He racked his brain as he attempted to recall the events of Monday afternoon that didn't involve his mother or Blaine…

"Uhm… They're called the Crawford Cantata. And they don't have a teacher to lead the club like we do, they have one elected student who makes all the decisions and song choices, her name's Amy and you do _not_ want to get on her bad side," Kurt explained as Rachel's pen came to life, making a note of everything. "They haven't yet decided on a set-list for sectionals but we did rehearse _Everybody_ by _Ingrid Michaelson_ so many times I think I could perform it in my sleep now," he explained, pausing to allow Rachel to write.

"How was it? I mean, were they good?" Kurt nodded in response as Rachel looked anxious.

"They had three main leads who sung the verses accompanied by a mixture of a cappella voices and instruments. Though their rendition of the song wasn't exactly…what you'd expect. They increased the tempo and sang it with so much sass it was unbelievable but…it _was _pretty good." Rachel scribbled down the information at lightning speed as Kurt struggled to find any more useful information to relay.

"Anything else?" Rachel asked, taking her eyes away from her notes to scan Kurt who shook his head in reply. "Okay, same time same place tomorrow? I'll let the others know everything you told me in glee today," she said by means of farewell as she departed. As he started in the direction of his first class, Kurt willingly allowed his mind to once again drift towards Blaine. Blaine who was actually _gay._ Blaine, whom Kurt may have even had a chance with if it wasn't for his stupid disguise.

For the second time that day, Kurt's train of thought was interrupted as Mercedes strolled next to him.

"What's that look for?" she asked curiously as she caught Kurt unaware.

"What look?" he replied, feigning innocence, though Mercedes was having none of it.

"Come on Kurt, I know that look. It's the look you get whenever you're thinking of a guy you like, now spill, what exactly happened on your little espionage yesterday?" she demanded, linking their arms together through habit.

"I don't know what you're talking about. How could I have possibly met a guy at an all girl's school Mercedes, honestly!" he countered, knowing there was no point telling Mercedes about Blaine. It would be best if he could just forget about him seeing as there was next to no hope of them being together _and_ considering he was technically the enemy, being Catherine's brother. Mercedes would probably just tell him the same thing if she knew anyway.

The girl eyed him with suspicion, not entirely believing his story but deciding to drop it anyway.

"So," she said brightly, changing the subject, "tell me about Crawford."

* * *

><p>Telling Rachel and Mercedes about the Crawford Cantata had reminded Kurt that he was in fact there to spy and on the way back to the all girl's school later that day, he made a mental note to try not to get too friendly with Catherine. She may be the only member to have a shred of decency but she was still the opposition.<p>

His aim was to get information, not friends.

Kurt parked and once again made his way into the school building, moments before the final bell went. Retracing his steps from the day before, he managed to find the rehearsal room just as some of the others, whose names he had yet to learn, were warming up their voices. The band member sat together in the same corner as the previous day and it was quite obvious that the two groups of students didn't interact. Regardless, Kurt smiled to them as he entered before joining the others to warm up.

Amy arrived shortly, followed by Catherine. Both seemed to be in a dispute but it was difficult to be sure as their voices remained calm, much like the day before when Kurt had first approached them. He attempted to hear what they were arguing over as it may prove valuable information to supply to Rachel the following morning.

"…can't blame me, she left because she wanted to," he heard, assuming they were talking about the blonde girl from the day before, Steph he recalled. "Why would I talk her into leaving the club, she's my best friend!"

"And now the drama club has her, you know that I can't stand them." Amy said still politely yet the malice beneath her tone was obvious.

"Well perhaps if you treated her like a _person_ she might not have left," Catherine countered sourly, dropping the polite façade. Amy turned on her heel to face the dark haired girl, glaring menacingly yet she dropped the matter, marching away to direct the club.

With Amy clearly in a foul mood, Kurt found himself dreading rehearsal and with good reason. She entirely scrapped the choreography that they had rehearsed endlessly the day before much to everyone's dismay and had everyone create a new routine as well as introducing two new songs to learn before the day was finished.

Kurt exited the room utterly drained. The Crawford Cantata's style was extremely different to that of New Directions and Kurt found himself missing the improvised dance moves they would come up with. Though they rehearsed to perfection, Crawford's dancing felt hollow, this was certainly information that Rachel would be pleased to hear.

Upon leaving the rehearsal room, Kurt made his way back to the car park, relieved that his second day of spying had passed relatively quickly and wanting nothing more than to leave.

"Hey Kirsty, wait up!" called Catherine as Kurt cursed himself for not walking faster. "I'm so in need of some caffeine right now, wanna go grab a coffee?" She asked cheerfully despite the brutal rehearsal they had just endured. Kurt was just about to decline, reminding himself that he mustn't get to friendly, before she continued, "I'm meeting up with Blaine again, it'll be nice to hang out with the three of us!"

Kurt knew he shouldn't. He had told himself to distance himself from these girls but…Just one coffee wouldn't hurt, would it? Besides after this week he was never going to see Catherine _or Blaine_ again, might as well make the most of it…right? Kurt reasoned as Catherine looked expectantly towards him.

The thought of seeing Blaine again and actually having a chance at a real conversation made Kurt's heart race excitedly. But no, he shouldn't. He _really_ shouldn't.

But he was weak.

* * *

><p>20 minutes later, Kurt found himself sitting in The Lima Bean waiting awkwardly as Catherine ordered their drinks. There were two reasons for him being uncomfortable; the first was that at this particular coffee house, anyone could come in and potentially recognize him, the second being the fact that the man sitting opposite was spectacularly gorgeous.<p>

Kurt was extremely alert, eyes shooting towards the door every time someone entered. What was he thinking? How had this seemed like a good idea? Yet, as he was planning his escape, Blaine finally broke the silence, eliminating all of his past doubts.

"So, Catherine says you sing in the Cantata?" he said for the purpose of a conversation starter, his voice kind and his tone extremely dapper. Kurt nodded in reply and smiled, answering with an enthusiastic "yeah!" Blaine smiled back and Kurt simply sat and admired the gentle feature on the other boys face, conveying so much warmth and friendliness in a simple grin.

"I sing in my school's club too," Blaine continued. Kurt felt it was impossible to admire him any more than he did but his heart fluttered simply thinking about him sing.

"Oh really? What school do you go to?" Kurt replied as Blaine laughed.

"I thought the uniform would have made it obvious!" He said, pulling at his red trimmed lapel "I go to Dalton Academy." Kurt blushed but his embarrassment was short-lived as Catherine returned holding three cups of coffee and taking a seat.

The three talked for at least an hour, the conversation smoothly flowing between musicals, fashion and school and soon enough, Kurt found himself feeling entirely comfortable in their company. He was aware not to reveal anything about himself though they didn't ask many personal questions. Kurt found himself aching, knowing that after this week their friendship will cease to exist, particularly as he learned more and more about Blaine; He was a member of the Dalton Academy Warblers, was just as protective over his hair as Kurt was thus wore copious amounts of gel, had a weird obsession with Disney songs…Little things about him that Kurt was unable to keep from infesting his mind.

He knew he was being ridiculous and anyone else would tell him the same thing. Yet somehow, with Blaine, Kurt felt himself, albeit a female version of himself who had to keep his real identity a secret. Okay, yes, he was definitely being ridiculous but when Blaine smiled at him, which he did a lot, he simply felt indescribably safe.

The bell above the door chimed as another customer entered, yet Kurt had become entirely engrossed in conversation and had completely forgotten his paranoia therefore had ceased checking for anyone who might recognize him. He didn't notice his best friend stop in her tracks as she witnessed him laughing with the two private school students.

He did notice however as his phone vibrated, signaling a text from Mercedes.

_What the hell are you doing?_

Kurt frowned at the message for a good 15 seconds before it hit him that she must have seen him.

Crap.

His mind raced, searching for any possible excuse. Before he could compose a reply however, his phone vibrated a second time in his hands.

_He is cute though ;) xox_

* * *

><p><strong>Hmm, not sure about this chapter, it's kinda filler-ish, more plot will be coming soon I promise! 8D<strong>_  
><em>**Thankyou so much for your reviews!  
>..<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Sooooo sorry about the wait guys! D:**  
><strong>I had a bit of a busy week and I needed to sort out the timeline for this fic because I managed to confuse myself (but that's not really hard)<strong>  
><strong>I'm just making excuses now aren't I?<strong>

* * *

><p>"So are you gonna tell me about this guy or what?" Mercedes urged that evening as the two sat on Kurt's bed, eating popcorn and watching Moulin Rouge.<p>

"There's nothing to tell Mercedes, really," Kurt replied, not daring to look at her in case his eyes gave him away. He knew that his new found obsession with Blaine could only lead to disaster. Despite only having known him for a little over a day, Kurt's mind refused to let go of the perfect image of his flawless smile that he had memorized that afternoon in The Lima Bean. No, forgetting all about Blaine would be best and gushing to Mercedes all about him would be the wrong way to go about that.

"Boy, don't you dare lie to me!" she said smiling, trying to get him to look at her. "You come to school with a look on your face as if you've just won a million dollars and then the very same day I happen to catch you on a coffee date with some guy? A _very_ attractive guy, might I add." Kurt ignored her, focusing on the movie that was playing on his laptop, though not really paying attention to that either.  
>"Fine," Mercedes continued after Kurt's lack of a response. "Well if you really have no interest then maybe I'll try my luck with him." She smirked as Kurt's head whipped round to finally face her.<p>

"He's gay Mercedes."

"Well I got your attention at least," she said, the smirk still planted on her face. "Come on Kurt! You go for coffee with an attractive _gay_ guy and you're telling me there's nothing going on? You like him at least, right?" Kurt looked down in silence as Mercedes awaited an answer.

"Yeah," he said sadly, looking intently at his bed sheets. "And he's like…perfect," Kurt continued. He couldn't think a more suited adjective to describe him with. "We talked non-stop yesterday about Vogue and…and musicals…and I may have found someone to rival my obsession with RENT," he explained, sounding oddly excited and depressed at the same time.

"So what's stopping you?" Mercedes asked incredulously.

"Mercedes, he thinks I'm a girl!"

"So find a way to meet him as Kurt, not Kirsty," she offered, as if this was obvious.

"Easier said than done. Anyway, he'd almost certainly recognize me," he finished, hoping to put the conversation to rest.

"Are you questioning mine and Tina's makeover skills? He won't recognize you! Come on, what have you got to lose?" Mercedes pushed.

"My dignity?"

"Kurt I am not gonna let you let this opportunity pass by! You deserve someone, and if you let him get away just because of Rachel's stupid plan I'll never talk to either of you again." Kurt huffed in response. He wanted to believe his friend was right but his doubts persistently clouded his mind. The two sat in silence, the only noise coming from the abandoned laptop and the movie continuing to play, unwatched.

Mercedes glanced over to Kurt who was resumed looking sadly down at his bed linens, holding his legs up to his chest. She simply couldn't sit by and watch Kurt do nothing about this guy though she did understand his doubts.

"What's his name?" Mercedes asked softly.

"Blaine."

"Blaine…?"

"Anderson." The girl smiled, making a mental note of the name before she dropped the matter and the two continued watching what was left of the movie.

* * *

><p>When Mercedes got home at around 8pm, she refused her parent's offer of dinner and instead hurried straight to her bedroom. Sitting on her bed, she loaded up her laptop and went directly to Facebook.<p>

_Account, logout._

She was taken to the homepage and 'Welcome to Facebook' filled the screen as she navigated herself to the sign up page. Remembering the name that Kurt had told her for his disguise that day, she began to fill out the details

_First Name: Kirsty_

_Last Name: Moore  
><em>  
>Mercedes typed in the details at lightning speed. She entered her own email address and created a password before submitting. She then proceeded to invent some personal details about Kurt's character in order to fill the <em>about me<em> section and added herself as a friend.

Lastly, she searched her computer for the photos she and Tina had taken when they had first put together Kurt's disguise and uploaded a profile picture. Kurt was smiling but not looking directly at the camera as the picture had been taken.

Kirsty Moore was now a member of Facebook.

The final thing on Mercedes' list was an easy task. She clicked the search bar and entered the name she had memorized from that evening

_Blaine Anderson_

Sure enough, on the first page of results, was a picture of the very same boy she had caught at the Lima Bean that afternoon, casually chatting with Kurt or _Kirsty_ technically. He was smiling over-dramatically and wearing a pair of yellow sunglasses. She clicked on his profile and swiftly sent him a friend request.

Smiling at phase one of her mission being accomplished, Mercedes leaned back against her pillows and waited.

* * *

><p>"Hey, David," Blaine broke the comfortable silence that had befallen their dorm room as he sat at his desk, finishing some last minute homework, his blazer hanging of the back of his chair and his tie loose. The other boy, lying comfortably on his bed, held a text book above his face in an attempt to study.<p>

"Mmhm?" he replied, eyes staying glued to his book.

"This is probably going to sound really weird but…" Blaine paused, unsure whether he should continue. David sensed his apprehension and put the book aside in order to listen to his friend.

"What's up?" he asked, concerned.

"It's just that…do you think…Is it possible to like both boys _and_ girls?" Blaine asked, his brows furrowing as David simply laughed at him.

"Yeah Blaine, I'm pretty sure the term is bisexual," David answered grinning, how could Blaine seriously not know this? He thought to himself.

"Yeah but…I don't _feel_ bisexual," Blaine replied, shrugging whilst David stared at him confusedly.

"What the hell does being bisexual feel like exactly…?" he asked, obviously amused by Blaine's problem.

"I don't know but…I've always felt so sure of my sexuality and well…proud I guess. And now I just don't know what the hell is going on," Blaine sighed.

"So who is she then?" David asked, jumping to the obvious conclusion. "She's obviously super-hot if she's making _you_ question your sexuality Blaine," he smirked and Blaine groaned, wishing he never brought it up.

"It's not that she's hot…or ugly, I…I dunno I've never really judged a girl in that way before. We just have so much in common and I honestly can't tell what it is I feel towards her…" Blaine rested his hands behind his head as David looked at a loss.

"Maybe you should try dating her?" he suggested but Blaine shook his head.

"She's one of Catherine's friends from Crawford. If things don't work out or if it turns out I _am_ gay then…it could be a little awkward." Blaine sighed as David shrugged, unable to offer any advice.

"Well, speaking of Crawford Country Day," David changed the subject. "I was considering proposing to Wes the idea of The Warblers doing a performance to their glee club this week. We only ever perform to the guys at Dalton or old folks at nursing homes and I was thinking we need some feedback on our sex appeal."

"Sure yeah, whatever," Blaine replied, turning back to his homework. His laptop was left switched on beside his school books and Blaine noticed in the corner of his eye a little red number 1 at the top of his Facebook page.

_Kirsty Moore has sent you a friend request._

Blaine smiled to himself and accepted before clicking on to her profile. She only had a few pictures and just one friend besides himself; perhaps she was new to Facebook?

* * *

><p><em>Blaine Anderson has accepted your friend request<em>

Success! Mercedes thought to herself as phase two of her plan had been completed. She cracked her fingers and opened up a chat window with Blaine, wasting no time.

_Kirsty: Hey!_

There was only a moment's pause before a reply came through.

_Blaine: Hey! :D_

_Kirsty: Today was awesome, you're pretty cool ;)_

_Blaine: haha yeah it was!  
>and thanks, you too!<em>

_Kirsty: soooo, I was wondering…  
>would you totally hate me if I set you up on a blind date with my friend?<br>He's really cool, I think you'd have a lot in common with him!_

Mercedes waited anxiously for the reply as she sent her message.

* * *

><p>"Uh oh," Blaine said, interrupting David once again from his studying.<p>

"What's wrong?" David answered, not seeming to mind. Blaine stared at the screen, unsure how to reply.

"Catherine…must have told her I'm gay," he sighed again, still not looking at his friend. "She's trying to set me up with some guy."

"Owch," David replied.

"Whatdoidowhatdoidowhatdoido?" David walked over and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder as Blaine stared in panic at his laptop, realizing he still hadn't replied.

"I think you should accept, you're still at least bisexual anyway," David offered as he tried to help Blaine out.

"But-"

"You said yourself you don't want to go out with this girl because it will make things awkward. Just go out with this other guy, see how you feel and come to terms with whether or not you're gay, bisexual or whatever," David explained, imparting wisdom that Blaine was unaware he even had. "If you still feel like you might have feelings for...whatsername then you can take things from there." Blaine smiled in response. David's plan did sound logical, he might even enjoy himself on this blind date anyway though he still couldn't help but feel sceptical.

"Thanks David," Blaine said, grateful for his advice either way and turned back to his laptop.

* * *

><p>Mercedes sat with her laptop for a good ten minutes after she had sent her last message. Had she been too forward? Blaine had only known Kirsty since Monday, she'd probably just completely freaked him out. Mercedes' doubts however were eliminated when she heard the familiar sound that announced a new message.<p>

_Blaine: um, okay, I guess that would be cool haha_

Mercedes whooped at the reply, pumping her fist into the air as if it was herself that had just gotten a date. Phase three was complete. All that was left was to tell Blaine the date and the time and hope that Kurt wouldn't murder her…

No. Kurt would be on his knees thanking her with all that he had once he returned from his date that was scheduled for Wednesday evening. Yes it was short notice and yes it was on a weekday, but that just gave Kurt less time to back out.

Proud of her work, Mercedes began browsing Blaine's Facebook page, double checking that he would make a satisfactory suitor for her man.

* * *

><p>"Mercedes, why are you smiling?" Kurt asked suspiciously the next morning "I don't trust you when you smile," he said, narrowing his eyes in her direction as he shut his locker door.<p>

"I'll explain later, just make sure you're not busy tonight," she offered as an explanation as she left for her next class, though this only made Kurt even more confused. He pulled out his phone in order to extract more information from her via text however as he was just about to open a new message, a sudden force had somehow thrown him into the adjacent lockers. His phone fell to the floor as he crashed against the metal, seeing only the form of the all too familiar stocky jock laughing as he strolled away.

No. He can't simply be okay with this. He can't let this go like he usually would.

Kurt couldn't understand the courage that he had found himself possessing as he stood and marched towards the boy's locker room where had seen Karofsky enter. However he tried not to think too much about it for fear of it suddenly vanishing.

Kurt was unable to recall most of the confrontation, the words and insults that were thrown back and forth were lost. His only memory of the encounter involved hot, wet lips pressed against his own and forcefully moving against him, attempting to gain entry. He felt sick. His legs no longer had the strength to support him as he fell to the floor of the empty locker room after Karofsky had left. Did that happen? Did that really just happen?

Was Karofsky gay?

It was difficult to feel sympathy for him as Kurt remembered the countless times that Karofsky had made him feel worthless, had made him suffer, the forced kiss adding to these feelings.

He cried. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't out Karofsky. No one would believe him anyway, and he certainly wouldn't be able to confront him about it.

Kurt understood his helplessness and refused to allow himself to continue crying. His first kiss had been stolen but sitting alone in an empty locker room that smelled like feet would not bring it back.

* * *

><p>Getting out of that locker room had been a good idea. Spending time with his friends at lunch and in between classes had been a good idea.<p>

Going back to Crawford was perhaps not the best idea.

The halls were crowded with students. Unfamiliar faces surrounding him. Kurt felt utterly alone and completely surrounded at the same time. He hated that he felt this way. He hated that one little unwanted kiss could make him feel so paranoid. He wanted something familiar, something safe. But he wouldn't hear the end of it from Rachel if he skipped out for the day. So he continued along the halls of Crawford, making his way to the rehearsal room for his third day as a member of the Crawford Cantata.

"Hey Kirsty!" came Catherine's voice above the quiet murmur of students, causing Kurt to literally jump at the sudden noise.

"H…hey," he replied breathlessly as she caught up to him. Catherine shot him a confused look at his jumpiness but paid little attention to it as she clearly had something exciting to talk about.

"I spoke to Blaine earlier and he told me what you did last night," she said happily as Kurt merely stared at her blankly. His mind was far too exhausted to try and recall whatever it was he had done.

"Which was…?" he asked hesitantly. Something wasn't right.

"That you set him up on a date! So who is he? Is he cute? How do you know him?" she asked question after question as Kurt struggled to keep up. His mouth hung open at Catherine's words as he struggled to make sense of the situation.

"Wha-" Kurt attempted to ask but was cut off by Catherine who was evidently very excited.

"He also wanted me to ask you if you could go shopping with him after practice. He's hopeless at fashion and really wants your help. You seemed to express a lot of knowledge on the subject yesterday!" she asked as Kurt's mind was racing. Seeing that Catherine was expecting an answer, he agreed to the shopping trip as they walked to rehearsal together. Blaine wasn't something entirely familiar, but he was certainly the 'something safe' that Kurt had been craving.

Still confused about exactly what had happened, Kurt made a mental note to text Mercedes as soon as possible. She was almost certainly behind this.

* * *

><p><strong>Everyone has laptops in this universe. Because I said so.<br>..**


	5. Chapter 5

**Again, sorry for the wait, sincere apologies! I'll try harder to get chapters out more frequently! D:**

* * *

><p><em>MERCEDES WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?<em>

Kurt furiously pounded into his cell phone as he sat in the rehearsal room, waiting for practice to begin. There was simply no-one else who could be behind this. Of the few people who knew of Kurt's disguise, she was the only one who knew of Blaine.

All he knew was that Kirsty had supposedly set Blaine up on a date with one of her friends, Kurt pondered. Since Kurt had obviously not done this himself, the only explanation was…wait. Kurt mentally slapped himself. How, no, it's not possible, MERCEDES!

The guy that Blaine was going on a date with…was _him._

Kurt froze, his eyes widening as he clutched his phone in his hands, sitting alone on the mini-stage.

His phone vibrated in his hands as Kurt received a text back from Mercedes, confirming his thoughts.

_Glad to see you've found my little gift. You'll thank me tomorrow, as well as tell me all the details ;) xox_

No no no no no. This couldn't…_he_ couldn't. Blaine will almost _definitely_ recognize him. Kurt's mind raced through a thousand humiliating scenarios of him being discovered in every possible way. He thought of Blaine telling his sister, who would then inform the rest of the Cantata. They would know he was a spy. They would want revenge. Kurt glanced over to the other girls. He knew that under the influence of Amy, they were ruthless and would do anything to secure a win at Sectionals.

Apart from Catherine and most of the band members, Kurt had taken an instant dislike to each and every girl in the club. There was Rosemary, who sneered at anyone who stepped slightly out of line in their dance routines. There was Jessica, one of the soloists, who refused to acknowledge the existence of the girls in the band, let alone make eye contact with them. The red headed girl, whose name Kurt hadn't even bothered to learn, she hadn't said a single word to Kurt since his arrival in the club.

Kurt had made sure to inform Rachel of every one of these girls. She would then try and work out their weaknesses in order to define the perfect set list that they could not beat. However it would all be over soon enough when he was discovered.

What had Mercedes done?

But then it hit him. He was actually going to go on a date with Blaine…as himself. He was going to get to meet Blaine as himself. What if…what if this actually worked out? Kurt tried not to think too much about it, it would only get his hopes up. But still.

What was better was the fact that Kurt would be able to dress up his date according to his own tastes. He would actually get to choose his outfit. If that didn't scream perfect then he didn't know what did. Kurt smiled despite his worries, despite his catastrophic confrontation with a certain bully that afternoon. He simply allowed himself to look forward to the rest of the day. After all, he had two dates with the same person to look forward to.

"You still haven't answered my questions from earlier!" came a familiar, cheerful voice as Catherine seated herself beside Kurt on the mini-stage. "So who is this guy? What's he like?" she asked. Startled by her sudden appearance (Kurt found himself feeling uncharacteristically jumpy) he decided there would be no harm in telling her. Blaine would most likely tell her all about the date anyway.

"He's err…He's called Kurt," he began quietly, finding it entirely surreal to be talking about himself in the third person. "He's actually a lot like me…" he admitted. The younger girl nodded as he spoke. "He's into fashion and sings in his school's glee club-"

"Kirsty, are you okay?" Catherine interrupted, noticing his edginess and how quiet he was speaking. "You're a little reclusive today." Kurt nodded his head and attempted a smile in response. His emotions were completely all over the place. He was excited for the time he was going to get to spend with Blaine yet anxious at the same time in case he discovered his secret. He was half angry and half grateful for what Mercedes had done.

Most of all however he was deeply, deeply terrified of his current situation with Karofsky.

He didn't even know if it was a _situation. _Would Karofsky forget about it entirely? Would he leave him alone now or would the bullying only intensify? Not knowing what was in store for him was definitely the worst part.

"I'm here to talk if you need anything. You know you can come and find me at any time, I never see you around at lunch or anything, are you settling in okay?" Kurt panicked, no, they didn't see each other at lunch and he could think of no legitimate reason as to why. Catherine didn't push it though and allowed Kurt to continue staring down at his shoes. She stood as Amy finally entered the room, indicating that rehearsals were to begin.

Glee club dragged on as Kurt willed the minutes to pass by. He found it incredibly difficult to smile, sing _and_ dance at the same time when all he wanted was to crawl into his bed and cry. Rosemary didn't even try to hide her annoyance as Kurt was unable to follow the steps whilst the red head continued to ignore him completely. Several times, he noticed Catherine steal a worried glance at him which did supply a small amount of comfort. He longed to be back in the New Direction's rehearsal room however, to laugh with his friends and feel like he belonged.

The only thing keeping him going was the thought of Blaine. Kurt couldn't deny that he had feelings for him nor the fact that he was indeed very excited for their date.

After a gruelling rehearsal, Amy finally called it a day just before 4pm. Kurt and Catherine were just about to leave when Amy called Catherine back.

"Catherine, don't go anywhere, I want you, Lucy and Jessica to stay behind today, your singing wasn't quite up to standard and I want us to work on it," she stated in a neutral tone. Catherine was about to argue but Amy's glare hardened on her and she found herself complying. Knowing that to refuse would likely end up getting her kicked out of the club. She was already on thin ice in Amy's eyes.

"Sorry Kirsty," she apologised, "Can you let Blaine know I can't come? He should be waiting in the parking lot. Have fun," she said dejectedly. Kurt's heart fluttered as he nodded and exited the room. He walked through the empty hallways and was unsure whether he should be dawdling or rushing. Sure, he was extremely excited to see Blaine but all he wanted was to hide under his duvet and stay there until Karofsky graduated and moved far away. He didn't feel safe outside, _he_ could be anywhere.

Kurt soon found himself walking out of the exquisite building and searching for Blaine's car. Blaine spotted him first however and casually walked over to greet him. Kurt's heart pounded as he smiled and offered a "Hello." He had apparently forgotten what Blaine could do to him with a simple smile.

The car ride was mostly silent. Kurt had explained to Blaine that Catherine was unable to come and for some reason this made him look a little nervous. Without Catherine acting as a catalyst, it was difficult to spark up a conversation so Kurt just gazed out of the window. Anything to keep him from staring at Blaine's firm grip, tensing on the steering wheel and…oh he was staring again.

Blaine snuck a glance at Kurt as he pulled to a halt at a red light.

"You okay?" he asked gently. "You seem a little down." Kurt melted as he felt Blaine's concern sweep over him and he suddenly found himself wanting to tell him everything. About Karofsky and the bullying and the…well _everything._

But he couldn't. Of course he couldn't, these were Kurt's problems, not Kirsty's. Instead, he just put on his brave face and made a mental note to stop sulking. He was with Blaine, he was _safe_.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Kurt said cheerfully "I just had a rough day. New school and everything, it's pretty tough settling in," he lied. Blaine tore his gaze away as the light turned green, seemingly accepting Kurt's story.

"Well I'm sure a bit of shopping will cheer you up!" He said and Kurt agreed. Though it wasn't the _shopping_ he was anticipating.

* * *

><p>"No no no!" Kurt huffed as Blaine picked out a plain grey sweater. "Grey just <em>screams<em> boring and shows that you tend to go with the safe choice, you need something with a bit more colour to show that you're daring and adventurous!" he said, taking the sweater and placing it back on the rail. He strolled over to another rail and began swiftly examining the clothing.

"Don't you think you're over-analysing a little?" Blaine laughed as he caught up with Kurt. "I mean, I just want something that looks nice, who can get all _that_ from a sweater?"

"_Kurt_ can, believe me," he replied, not taking his eyes of the rail. Blaine crossed his arms, letting Kurt do his thing.

"He seems a little high maintenance to me," Blaine regarded. Kurt froze as his heart sunk but Blaine didn't seem to notice as he pulled out a dark blue shirt from another rail. Was Blaine going to find him ridiculous for having such a prominent interest in fashion? Should he tone it down a little?

"Do you think a shirt and tie is too dressy for a blind date?" he asked, interrupting Kurt from his worries. Though he did a good job of hiding it, Kurt could tell that he was nervous and he couldn't help but blush. He turned away from him in an attempt to hide his face and shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe," he replied, shopping for Blaine was proving very difficult, especially considering Kurt had only ever seen him in his Dalton uniform and had no idea what suited him.

After finding nothing, Kurt decided they'd best try their luck elsewhere and dragged Blaine over to The Gap. As Kurt was browsing however, he noticed Blaine's eyes had fallen upon a blond cashier, whose wavy hair hung to his shoulders. His gaze lingered there for a moment longer than necessary before he joined Kurt in browsing through the various rails of clothing. It was entirely innocent, yet Kurt couldn't help but feel a pang of betrayal. Blaine was out shopping for an outfit for their date and he was looking at other men whilst doing so?

Blaine was right, he did over-analyse things, and not just with fashion. Kurt forced himself to see reason, Blaine still doesn't even _know_ Kurt yet.

"We should hurry," Kurt suggested, leading Blaine out of the store, finding any excuse to leave The Gap and keep Blaine away from the blond cashier. "Don't want to be late for tonight!"

The two traversed for another 45 minutes through the mall. Choosing an outfit for Blaine was certainly proving a challenge. He was adorably useless at fashion he had thought as he thrust several cardigans in his direction, urging him to the changing rooms. However, Kurt shook his head at each of them.

"They're nice…I just don't think they give off quite the right message." Blaine raised his eyebrow in response as if asking 'seriously?' "It's your first date; you have to make a good first impression," Kurt responded, taking him to another area of the store.

Blaine picked out a blue and white striped sweater whilst Kurt was elsewhere piecing outfits together. He examined it briefly before placing it back where he found it, clearly not sure what he was even looking for anymore. Kurt returned shortly with a selection of new clothes and presented them to Blaine.

"Any of these I think might work pretty well. Pick your favourite." Kurt smiled as Blaine picked through his options.

"Ooh, I like this," he said pulling out a casual black waistcoat. Kurt smiled and handed him a purple short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of dark grey jeans to go with it and ushered him to the changing rooms once again.

Blaine returned shortly to present his outfit to Kurt, who couldn't restrain the smile that grew on his face.

"Perfect!" Kurt exclaimed "It's sophisticated but not too smart and has just the right amount of colour," he said, forcing Blaine to spin round to get a full view, blushing slightly at how well the jeans fit…

"Really? From what you've told me, it seems like it will take a _lot_ to impress Kurt when it comes to fashion…" Blaine said anxiously. Kurt shook his head in reply

"Trust me, I _know_ Kurt will be impressed."

* * *

><p><strong>I had a little difficulty writing this chapter I didn't want to dive straight into the date so instead you get this filler crap<strong>

**I really don't like this chapter but hay ho, let's hope for something worth reading in chapter 6 :/  
>..<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh wow this chapter is like the longest yet. wow. Took me all day to write but It was super fun! **  
><strong>I'm really happy with it, hope you like it too! :D<strong>

**Also I just wanna say a big big big thank you to every single one of you! Everyone who has reviewed, subscribed, added to favorites or just dropped by, whatever! I love you all and I write this fic for each and every one of you.**  
><strong>I smile so much every time I get an email from ff.n and it just encourages me to keep writing even when I'm dying from sleep deprivation, so keep doing what you do!<strong>

**I love you!**

* * *

><p><em>This is <em>not _good, definitely not good! _Kurt repeated in his mind as he raced home. He had left Blaine hurriedly at the mall in order to get home yet it seemed every light wanted to turn red and every learner driver wanted to pull out in front of him. He glanced at his dashboard clock and registered the time as 5:45. Okay, that gave him just over and hour to get home, take a shower and choose something to wear before he met Blaine at 7. This was definitely not good.

Kurt pulled into his driveway but before he managed to dive out of his Navigator he abruptly halted at his reflection in his wing mirror.

_Crap._

How on earth had he neglected to change out of his Kirsty disguise? He asked himself as he ripped off the brown curls that draped across his shoulders, running a hand through his flattened hair. He refused to allow Finn the pleasure of seeing him in his disguise. Or worse, his dad…

Frantically, he reached for the Gucci duffel bag that sat on the back seat and pulled out the red tartan pants he had worn to school that day. They were still dirty from where Karofsky had pushed him down earlier and Kurt had to close his eyes as his memory forced the feeling of Karofsky's hot, wet lips back to the front of his mind.

He sat with his eyes tightly shut for at least another minute, willing himself to think of something else. _Anything_ else.

_Blaine!_ Kurt's mind screamed. _Think about Blaine. About tonight._

So he did and he was suddenly engulfed by the fact that he only had an hour until he was supposed to be meeting him. Eyes shooting open once more, Kurt quickly changed and raced to the door.

"Is that you Kurt?" came a distance shout from the kitchen. Clearly his dad was home.

"Yeah!" Kurt replied, flying up the first few steps to get to his room as quickly as possible.

"Woah woah woah," his dad called, coming into view. "Why're you in such a hurry? I was hoping you could help me with…Kurt is that _makeup?_" Kurt's eyes widened as Burt climbed the stairs to reach his son, who withdrew slightly.

"No," Kurt replied in a small voice.

"Come 'ere," Burt said, gripping Kurt's wrist and dragging him back downstairs to get a better look at him in the light. Kurt stood awkwardly as his father took his face in one hand and inspected it, his mind inevitably drifting back to the other time someone had held his face in a similar fashion that same day and he couldn't repress the shiver that shook his spine. "Is there something you wanna tell me, kid?" Burt asked, scrutinizing his son still, wiping a thumb across the blusher on his cheek.

Kurt's mind screamed _yes_, though it had nothing to do with the fact that he was wearing makeup.

"It's nothing, just a project in glee club today," he half-lied. Burt released his face and a mixture between a sigh and a laugh escaped his father's lips.

"Whatever," he replied as Kurt was suddenly aware of the time.

"Can I go? I have less than an hour to get ready for my…" Kurt stopped himself before he finished with '_my date_' though he had apparently not stopped quickly enough. Burt eyed him suspiciously, causing Kurt to once again squirm under his gaze.

"Get ready for what? You going out tonight?" Kurt nodded briefly. He had desperately wanted to avoid this conversation with his father. "With who?"

"Just…a friend." Burt looked at him disbelievingly, knowing if it was just one of his friends he would have at least offered a name. "A…a guy." He admitted, avoiding his father's gaze.

"Is it a date?"

Kurt nodded sheepishly.

"Kind of."

Expecting a hurricane of; 'You're too young' 'How do you even know this guy?' 'On a _school _night Kurt, really?', Kurt was more than shocked when his father simply patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Have fun, but don't stay out too late," he warned before returning to the kitchen, leaving Kurt stunned and confused, though he had no time to linger as the mantel piece clock displayed the time as 6:10.

Kurt managed to shower in record time, yet the time he had saved was wasted as his hair refused to sit in the right position once it was dried. Having it cooped up in a wig had made it unruly and Kurt was ready to scream when he found his can of hairspray empty. The frustrated teen stormed into his parent's bedroom and snatched up his stepmother's can of hairspray off her dresser, being sure to remember to buy her a new can the following day.

By this point he only had 25 minutes until he was supposed to meet Blaine at the movie theatre, the movie theatre which was a 20 minute drive away…

Still wrapped in his bath towel, Kurt sighed with relief as he managed to style his hair sufficiently and he raced over to his closet, pulling out almost every piece of clothing he owned and displaying everything on his bed. He hastily picked through several outfit choices, attempting to find something that would complement what he had picked out for Blaine without looking like he was trying too hard (or looking as though he mysteriously knew exactly what Blaine would be wearing). He wanted to avoid seeming too 'high maintenance' as Blaine had put it but considering his wardrobe collection, this was proving a challenge.

Kurt glanced at the clock again, which he found he had been doing far too frequently in the last hour. It was 6:40 and unless he left now he would be late, though he could hardly go to meet the man of his dreams dressed in nothing but a pale green loosely fitted bath towel.

Kurt groaned, sinking to his knees, his arms and head resting on the bed as he suppressed the urge to scream again. Why did Blaine have to be so difficult to shop for and take all afternoon? After a few calming breaths, he once again picked through the clothes spread across his bed and finally decided upon a white dress shirt and a black cardigan finished with a purple bow tie. Similar in shade to the shirt he had picked out for Blaine but not exactly. Kurt allowed himself a quick glance in the mirror to ensure that he looked okay before returned to his vanity table for one last fix up of his hair.

Putting the hairspray back down, he hurriedly grabbed his car keys and wallet and sped to his car. Turning the key in the ignition, he noticed the dashboard clock read 6:50. Okay, he was definitely going to be late.

* * *

><p>Blaine sighed as he placed his shopping bags on his bed before joining them there.<p>

"So…" David questioned, not taking his eyes of the sheet music he was seemingly studying as his roommate lay face down on his comforter. "How was your date with Kirsty?"

"Nuh ah dayh." came Blaine's muffled reply which sounded vaguely like _"Not a date"_

"If you say so," David replied with a smirk. "You'd better get ready for your _other_ date though my friend, aren't you meeting…Craig at 7."

"Kurt," Blaine corrected rising from his pillow "And yeah, I suppose I should get ready."

"Why do I get the feeling you're really not looking forward to this?" David asked as Blaine stretched and strolled towards their shared bathroom.

"I am…I'm just tired I guess and I have no idea what to expect with this guy," Blaine countered, a little defensively.

"I guess you have point. Blind dates can be so impersonal. I mean this guy could be a complete jerk or a pervert or be major fugly…" David listed as Blaine rolled his.

"Not helping David," he countered as a look of worry spread across his face.

Blaine showered quickly before changing into his new clothes, gaining himself a wolf whistle from David.

"The council isn't happy about you skipping the emergency rehearsal tonight though, Blaine." David informed Blaine as he was inspecting his hair. "Our '_sexy'_ performance to the Crawford girls is tomorrow you know."

"Yeah I'm aware, but don't worry, I think I got it," he reassured David as he glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table. "I've gotta go, see you."

David offered a "Bye, have fun!" as Blaine closed the door, car keys and wallet in hand.

Okay, _now_ he was nervous. As well as his previous worries, David's words had planted new concerns in his mind. He attempted to shake them from his head, convincing himself that Kirsty wouldn't set him up with a jerk or a pervert though his thoughts continued to wander.

Blaine's heart pounded in his chest as he started up his car and pulled out of the Dalton Academy student car park. What if he was perfect in every way? What if he fell in love with this guy and did a Blaine-ish thing to mess it up. He'd never been in a relationship before, whenever he found himself becoming more than friends with a guy, he always somehow managed to find a way to wreck things. He was hopeless at romance and most of the time he came off as a complete dork.

_Okay Blaine, pull yourself together_. He thought, taking a deep breath. _You'll either like him, or you won't, either way, just be yourself. _He told himself this over and over until he finally found himself in the parking lot to the Cinema.

Blaine waited by the entrance 5 minutes before 7, where Kirsty had instructed him to, fully aware that he had no idea what his date even looked like.

* * *

><p>"Please still be here please please please," Kurt repeated out loud as he parked his car and locked up. A quick glance at his watch informed him that he was 10 minutes late. That wasn't <em>too<em> bad right? He was often fashionably late to meet ups with his friends however with Blaine, he didn't want to take any chances.

But there he was, leaning against the building near the front entrance, looking aimlessly at the crowd of people. Kurt was suddenly aware of his increased heart rate and quick breathing as he slowly walked towards the entrance. This was it, the moment of truth. Will Blaine immediately recognize him as Kirsty? Will he not like him as Kurt? Despite his panic fuelled imagination, Kurt knew he simply couldn't turn around and leave him there so instead he took in one last deep breath to steady his frayed nerves and approached the lost-looking boy.

"Um…Blaine?" he said cautiously, causing Blaine to suddenly turn his head at the mention of his name, looking a little stunned. Kurt focused all of his willpower on not looking anything like his female counterpart as he held out his hand for an introductory handshake.

"Oh, you're Kurt, right?" Blaine asked taking Kurt's offered hand and Kurt nodded in reply once they had pulled away.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, sorry I'm a little late," he said awkwardly. There was an awkward pause as Blaine appeared to be studying him. Kurt was certain he felt his heart stop in his chest.

"That's fine, you…" Blaine said slowly, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Kurt thoughtfully.

_Oh god, he knows, I'm doomed._ Kurt concluded in his mind.

"You look-"

_He knows, oh my God._

"-a little-"

_What do I do? Should I run?_

"-exhausted, are you okay?" Kurt's breath remained in his throat, unable to be released as he stood frozen to the spot.

"Yeah…fine," he said, finally exhaling. He was quite aware of how much of a nervous wreck he was. Blaine didn't seem to notice however as he was currently attempting to control his own nerves.

* * *

><p>"Um…Blaine?" came a hesitant voice to his left. Blaine whipped his head around to see a brown haired teenage boy smiling shyly at him.<p>

Oh, wow.

Well he certainly wasn't fugly, like David had suggested, that was for sure. Blaine stared blankly at the extended hand before he realized he hadn't said anything. He had been too absorbed in his stunningly blue eyes. Or were they green? Grey? They were...almost exactly the same colour as Kirsty's actually. After a brief introduction and handshake, Blaine began to see the resemblance more and more.

_Are they related or something? Kirsty never did mention how she knew kurt… _Blaine considered as he registered their same rounded jaw and full lips. Blaine shook his head, willing himself not to think of Kirsty or Kurt's lips…but _especially_ not Kirsty's lips.

Oh God what was wrong with him? A 17-year-old gay teenage boy, on a date with another, _very attractive_ gay teenage boy and all he can think about is another girl? He forced himself to speak when he noticed Kurt was looking at him, seemingly anxious about something.

He accepted Kurt's apology for being late before noticing his flushed cheeks and the fact that his breathing seemed irregular.

"You look a little…exhausted, are you okay?" he asked slowly but quickly chided himself as he realized what he had just said.

_Great Blaine, that's just a polite way of telling someone they look like crap. What is _wrong_ with you?_

Kurt didn't seem to take offense however as he reassured Blaine that he was fine and the two walked into the move theatre.

Okay, after noticing how well Kurt seemed to fit into his skinny jeans, Blaine had to admit that yeah, he was attracted to him. He _also_ had to admit that he felt like a pervert examining him like a piece of meat having known him for a total of 10 minutes. In order to remedy the problem, he struck up a conversation as they queued for tickets.

It only took a short while to learn of Kurt's passion for Broadway musicals and Blaine found it almost inspiring the amount of passion one person could have for something and couldn't help but find himself smiling.

"What?" Kurt questioned pausing mid-sentence, noticing the smile painted upon Blaine's face

"Nothing it's just…cute how excited you get over Broadway," he said sheepishly. Was that too forward? They were on a date after all so it should be okay to say things like that, right? Kurt smiled widely in response, blushing to his ears. That was definitely a good sign.

They got their movie tickets, Blaine insisting he paid, and took their seats in the darkened cinema, a shared bag of popcorn between them. Blaine found himself wishing they had chosen somewhere else for their date however. It was difficult to chat at the movies and all he wanted was to learn as much as he could about Kurt.

Noticing that Kurt had hardly eaten any of the popcorn, Blaine gestured the bag towards him, offering him some.

"No thanks," Kurt whispered, "Too much salt, bad for my complexion," he reasoned.

So yeah, he was a _little_ high maintenance but Blaine reasoned that he could live with it. If being high maintenance meant he looked that good _all_ the time…yeah he could definitely deal with that.

* * *

><p>"So, Breadstix?" Blaine suggested as they left the movie theatre just before 9pm. "My treat."<p>

"Oh no," Kurt replied as Blaine's face momentarily fell. "You paid for the movie tickets, I'm buying dinner." Blaine reluctantly agreed as they decided to walk the 5 minute journey to the restaurant. Blaine took note of how independent and proud Kurt seemed to be. He liked that in a guy, it was extremely endearing. With every little detail that he learned about Kurt, he found himself feeling more and more grateful to Kirsty for introducing them.

He did like Kirsty, a lot in fact. But Kurt was…well he was a guy for one thing. Blaine smiled to himself, how could he have seriously doubted the fact that he was gay?

The conversation flowed between them smoothly as they bounced of each other's interests and anecdotes until the topic casually landed at yet another thing they clearly had in common; their sexuality.

"So, when did you first come out?" Blaine asked hesitantly "I mean, if you don't mind me asking." If Kurt was bothered by the question, he didn't show it.

"I came out to my dad and close friends a little over a year ago, they took it really well," he admitted. "Then rumours started spreading and all of a sudden the whole school knew. That's when the bullying started" he said with an odd smile. "At first it was just simple shoves into lockers and name-calling before escalating to being thrown into dumpsters and now…" Kurt stopped himself abruptly when he realized what he was about to tell him. Blaine didn't push him however, understanding that he clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"That's terrible," he said softly instead, taking Kurt's hand across the table. Kurt's heart leaped into his throat at the touch. Blaine cared, he actually cared about him.

"How about you?"

"I told my parents when I was 14, my mom was pretty okay about it but my dad didn't really believe me at first. He thought it was just a phase and he had me help him fix up some car and made me watch football with him all the time. I mean I love football and it was great spending time with him but it didn't feel right knowing he was only doing it to 'straighten me out', if you know what I mean." Kurt nodded sadly. "I only told one friend yet somehow the whole school knew within a week. I had bullying problems too but…I was a coward and ran to Dalton Academy. They have a zero-tolerance for bullying scheme which really helps out but…I know it's not the real world," Blaine explained with a sigh. "You have a lot of courage Kurt, enduring that and still being able to be yourself." Kurt laughed sarcastically in response.

"Trust me, if my dad was a millionaire, I'd join you in your red-piped blazers in a second" Kurt responded though he had to consider if he really meant it. Spending half a week at Crawford just after school had made him homesick for the New Directions. Could he really leave them for good?

"Oh, you've heard of us?" Blaine responded. He continued when Kurt replied with a "huh?" "well you seem familiar with our uniform," he elaborated.

Oh. It's official. Kurt truly was an idiot. How could he let something like that slip?

"Kirsty…told me about Dalton," he said somewhat stiffly. Blaine didn't notice however and continued their previous conversation.

"Seriously though Kurt, I think you're really brave. Don't run like I did, stand up for yourself," Kurt offered a brief smile and nodded, remembering what happened when he stood up for himself that day.

"The fact that I'm in glee club doesn't exactly help with the bullying situation either," Kurt explained, hoping to change the subject.

"You sing in a glee club?" Blaine asked as Kurt smiled and nodded. "Me too! If we both pass sectionals, maybe we'll be competing together at regionals!" he laughed.

"Yeah then we'll be forced to be rivals. It'll be like Romeo and...Romeo," Kurt said somewhat sadly yet Blaine chuckled at the joke.

"Nah, I don't believe in rivalry between clubs. I mean we all share a common interest right? We should just get along," Kurt found himself wholeheartedly agreeing, maybe because it was Blaine saying it or maybe because he could completely see where he was coming from. Either way, it was definitely a conversation he'd need to repeat with Rachel at some point.

They made sure that dinner was brief as they were both aware of the fact that it was a Wednesday and left the restaurant at approximately 10:30. The sun had completely set by this point and the air had turned chilly. Blaine noticed Kurt holding his arms across himself and placed an arm over his shoulder, pulling him close in an attempt to warm him a little, getting to be nearer to him as a result.

Blaine's heart pounded furiously against his chest. Did this mean they were dating? Or did he still need to ask him officially? He'd never been on a blind date before so he was unsure what was supposed to happen at this point. All that he knew was that he definitely liked this boy. A lot. Soon enough, they were back in the movie theatre parking lot and were approaching Kurt's Navigator.

"This is me," Kurt said nervously as Blaine released his grip on Kurt's shoulder. "I had a lot of fun," he stated, turning to face Blaine but immediately cursed himself for sounding as though he were in a cheesy date movie. He didn't seem to mind however as he gazed into Kurt's eyes as they appeared to have changed colour in the moonlight.

"Do you…mind if I…" Blaine stuttered as Kurt tilted his head questioningly, his hands suddenly gripping his own. Blaine sighed and instead, leaned forward. Before Kurt could even register what was happening, a pair of lips connected with his own for the second time that day. Unlike the first however, these lips were not pushy and chapped but instead gentle and moved slowly against his own. Kurt found himself sighing into the kiss. _This_ was what a first kiss should be like, Kurt couldn't help but think, but this wasn't his first kiss. His first kiss had been stolen.

The kiss deepened as both boys refused to break for air. Kurt was suddenly aware of a hand slipping out of his own and trailing slowly up his forearm. It rested briefly on his shoulder before cupping his chin and Kurt couldn't stop the goosebumps erupting all over his body. He couldn't stop the all too recent memory from infesting his thoughts. With his eyes closed, it could all too easily be Karofsky kissing him all over again.

He couldn't do this.

Kurt abruptly broke the kiss, pushing Blaine away from him and falling backwards into the hood of his car. Blaine's face conveyed a mixture of confusion and sadness at the sudden loss of the other's lips.

"I'm so sorry," he breathed, not daring to look Blaine in the eyes. His own were welling up furiously, threatening to spill.

"Kurt…" Blaine whispered cautiously.

"I'm sorry, so sorry," Kurt repeated.

"What are you sorry for Kurt? Sorry, you don't want to be with me?" Blaine tried to be as gentle as possible yet Kurt still flinched as Blaine dared to rest a hand on his shoulder. He kept it there stubbornly however and Kurt eventually eased into the touch, his hand still pressed lightly against his lips.

Kurt glanced into Blaine's concerned amber eyes and let the tears spill knowing what he had just thrown away.

Karofsky had broken him.

* * *

><p><strong>Ohohohoho lookit that cliffhanger I've left you with. I was gonna write more but this chapter was already double what I usually write and I'd spent all day creating it and I'm tired!<strong>

**also, someone should just shoot me for the amount of time I used the word 'fugly' seriously Hannah? S'not even a word yo.  
>..<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Woah, Chapter 7 already! This is the fastest I've ever written a multichapter fic! xD**  
><strong>Once again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and subscribed (almost at 100 subscribers now! whoop!)<strong>

**I actually had other plans for this chapter and I didn't intend to spend too much time on this part but here it is, a whole chapter to itself! I guess I'll have to save what I had originally planned for chapter 8.**

* * *

><p>Kurt breathed yet another sigh of anxiety as he took a glance at the white plastic clock above the teacher's desk. He nervously tapped his pen against his workbook in French class, much to the annoyance of several classmates who sat beside him. He didn't care however. He just continued to glare at the ticking clock, willing the seconds to go by faster and to slow down at the same time. Fourth period ended in just 20 more minutes and then lunch.<p>

Kurt was nervous to say the least because in 20 minutes, Blaine Anderson had promised to make a guest appearance at McKinley high school. The very same Blaine Anderson who had kissed him the night before, who he had pushed away harshly. Kurt finally tore his gaze away from the tortuous clock, he couldn't understand why Blaine cared so much anyway. He had technically only known him for less than a day and he had offered to do this.

Lowering his gaze, Kurt rested his head on his arms. He didn't need to pay attention anyway, French was his best class. Instead he considered Karofsky. How was it that he was able to ruin his life without even being near him? He had ruined what could have otherwise been the most amazing night of his entire life so far. Blaine had kissed him. It wasn't forced or rushed, and it was most certainly not one-sided. Kurt's brows furrowed at the memory. Blaine had kissed him, a boy who was actually gay and whom he actually had feelings for. It was perfect.

Or, it would have been.

Perhaps if Blaine hadn't done it so suddenly, he would have had a moment to compose himself and not have the sudden shock of their lips colliding bring back certain memories. Perhaps if he had kept his eyes open and focused on Blaine, he could have forced the image of _him_ to remain in his sub-conscience instead of letting it be overwhelmed by the face of Karofsky. Perhaps if Blaine's gentle hand hadn't caressed his jaw, holding it in the same way that Karofsky had done that same day…

Or perhaps if Karofsky hadn't kissed him at all.

Not only had he stolen his first kiss, but he had sabotaged his second.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell Blaine about Karofsky. He hadn't told anyone, not his teachers, father or even his best friends. And then there he was, spilling his life story to a guy he'd known since Monday, and who had known _him_ for significantly less. He couldn't describe why, but he _knew _that Blaine would be able to offer him comfort. Blaine was, after all, gay and was most probably at some point in his life in the same boat as he was. Homophobia was everywhere.

When he had told him, Blaine had enveloped him in the warmest of embraces as Kurt's tears fell. It wasn't romantic and it wasn't the sort of hug you would give a friend, it was just a comforting I'm-not-going-anywhere-so-don't-you-worry sort of hug. Kurt smiled slightly at the memory, he had felt completely safe in Blaine's arms. He had wanted nothing more than to start over. Kiss him again and think only of Blaine but he knew that wasn't possible.

He wasn't even sure where their relationship stood. Were they boyfriends? They'd only been on one date, though it was clear that Blaine had shown an interest. Kurt knew that he wanted nothing more than to be Blaine's boyfriend but after what had happened, he wasn't sure if that was something he could currently deal with. Karofsky had clearly left him much more traumatized than he had first thought. Could he handle having a boyfriend at such a time? After what had happened when Blaine had kissed him, the answer seemed obvious.

But maybe that was just what he needed, someone who would be there no matter what.

A lot of the previous night after he had confessed to Blaine was a blur, he remembered Blaine repeating something about courage. He hadn't been sure what he meant though. People with courage don't sit on a tarmac floor and cry their eyes out to guys they've just met. Though Kurt was sure that after he pulled away Blaine would lose interest; he wasn't expecting to be pouring his heart out to him in the middle of the parking lot that night. And he certainly didn't expect Blaine to offer to actually come to his school and confront Karofsky with him.

Now, sitting in the dull French classroom, his teacher still lecturing on about the importance of masculine and feminine verbs to a non responsive class, Kurt found his heart beginning to beat faster as the clock came nearer and nearer to 1pm. He had no idea what Karofsky would do, he only had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was going to end badly.

Soon enough, 1pm came and the sound of the ringing bell filled the classroom, waking Kurt from his thoughts. Well, it was now or never. He rose to his feet, quickly shoving his things into his school bag, and walked steadily to the courtyard.

Sure enough, there stood Blaine at the top of the steps, looking somewhat out of place in his Dalton Academy blazer. Kurt froze, they hadn't spoken since the previous night and he found himself feeling somewhat embarrassed. He shook away the feeling however and greeted Blaine with a sheepish smile.

"Hey," he said quietly, not looking him directly in the eyes. Blaine smiled and turned to him. "You came."

"Of course, I said I would, didn't I?" Blaine replied.

"You really didn't have to…" Kurt started but Blaine interrupted before he could continue to protest.

"Don't, you've been fighting this all by yourself for too long, I _want_ to help. And who knows, maybe we can even help Karofsky come out of the closet," he said hopefully. Kurt nodded in reply as the two started walking aimlessly, Kurt wasn't sure where Karofsky would be, though he wasn't entirely certain if he actually wanted to find him.

An awkward silence fell as they walked. What was there to talk about? The night before there had been no trouble falling into conversation yet now they were both at a blank. Kurt stole several glances at Blaine as they walked. He honestly could not understand why he was going to so much trouble to help him; this only made him fall for the other boy even more. Yet his heart broke as he knew that he would have to face up to his fears if he ever wanted an opportunity to be with him. Kurt's situation had left him like a fragile doll and he knew that a simple touch from Blaine could shatter him. He had to take things slowly.

Kurt's hand brushed against the metal mesh that lined the steps as they walked upwards. He came to an abrupt stop however when the familiar sight of Karofsky's red letterman came into view just above them. His heart froze and his breath caught in his throat. Blaine, seemingly noticing Kurt's behavior, gently took his hand and squeezed.

"That's him, isn't it?" he asked quietly, though it was more of a statement than a question. Kurt nodded slowly.

"I've got your back," Blaine released his hand and stepped forward. "Excuse me."

"Hey Ladyboys," Karofsky retorted, coming to a stop before them. "This your boyfriend Kurt?" Kurt stood still, not saying a word and just accepting the insult. He did notice however how Blaine did not deny the boyfriend remark.

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something," Blaine continued, un-phased. Kurt looked to him at the mention of his name, Blaine had promised him he wouldn't have to say anything.

"I gotta go to class," Karofsky stated, shoving past the two, though Kurt knew he had no intentions of doing so. Blaine stayed focused and continued the conversation.

"Kurt told me what you did."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" This had certainly gotten Karofsky's attention.

"You kissed me," Kurt replied, speaking up for the first time. He had completely engaged Karofsky's attention with this statement. His eyes grew wide as he checked the area, ensuring that no one had heard before giving Kurt a threatening glance. He could feel his hands trembling but he willed himself to stay strong, especially in front of Blaine. It should have been obvious that Karofsky would deny it, especially with all of the other students around so it came as no surprise when he refused to understand what they were talking about.

Kurt knew it was hopeless to get him to come out, to come to terms with who he was. This was Karofsky after all. Blaine however clearly did not know him as well as Kurt did and continued in the hopes of getting him to confess. It seemed he had gone into generic, inspirational 'you're-not-alone' mode as Kurt stood by knowing it was in vain.

It all happened in a flash and suddenly, Blaine was against the wire mesh as Karofsky lost his temper.

"Do not. Mess. With me," Karofsky growled. Blaine raised his hands to signify that he did not wish for a physical confrontation, still managing to keep calm despite being held up against the fence. Kurt recognized that temper but he knew he had to step in, he needed to show Blaine that he wasn't completely defenseless.

"You have to stop this!" he cried, pushing Karofsky away from Blaine. Silence filled as Karofsky's anger dissolved and he regained control. Not another word was said between the three of them and Karofsky finally left. Kurt stared after him as he left, wondering what on earth was going through his mind. This confrontation was supposed to make him feel better yet he couldn't help but feel he had made things so much worse for himself.

"Well he's not coming out any time soon," Blaine said with a laugh but Kurt was in no mood for jokes. Instead, he let out a long sigh and took a seat on the concrete step. Blaine sensed Kurt's mood and his features immediately softened.

"Hey, what's going on? Why're you so upset?" he asked sympathetically, taking a seat next to him. Kurt sighed again, he might as well tell him, he already knew the rest of the story anyway.

"Because until yesterday, I had never been kissed," he said sadly. Blaine had already felt guilty about kissing Kurt the night before after finding out what Karofsky had done, this only made his guilt multiply tenfold. Blaine said nothing in reply so the two sat in yet another uncomfortable silence as students came and went.

"I think…we should talk," Blaine finally spoke up, speaking softly "About last night."

_This is it_, Kurt thought dejectedly. _He's gonna break things off now he knows how pathetic I am.  
><em>He didn't dare to look at Blaine and kept his eyes focused solely on his polished shoes against the gum-infested grey steps. He braced himself for the worst.

"I like you, I really do and I had a lot of fun last night," Blaine fidgeted with his tie nervously whilst Kurt continued to concentrate on his feet.

_But… _Kurt thought to himself

"But…I'm not sure if us dating is such a good idea," he said softly. Kurt breathed a heavy sigh and nodded in understanding. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love for us to try it out and just…see what happens," he continued as Kurt finally took a chance and raised his eyes to meet Blaine's "I'm just not sure if that's the best thing for _you_ right now."

Well Kurt was definitely not expecting that. He stared at Blaine dumbly, his mouth hung slightly open as he processed his words.

"You…want to be with me?" He said so quietly that Blaine only just managed to hear. Blaine smiled nervously as he blushed.

"Why do you think I kissed you last night?" he replied with a sad smile. "But I see the way you flinch away now and last night you clearly weren't comfortable with…" his voice trailed away as silence fell upon them once again. The sound of students chatting happily mingled with their soft breathing.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away," Kurt said, breaking the silence this time. Blaine looked up, a confused look on his face.

"No, don't be. I shouldn't have…If I'd known I would have never…" he stuttered as Kurt returned his gaze to his shoes.

"Oh," he said sadly.

"I didn't mean it like-"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted, summoning up every ounce of courage he had. " I…I like you too. A lot. And maybe you're right, maybe…I'm not ready for a relationship after everything," he paused and Blaine said nothing, sensing that Kurt was going somewhere. "But then that's just yet another thing that Karofsky gets to take away from me. It's just another way that he gets to screw up my life. No one seems to notice the constant misery he puts me in and I feel like you not only notice but can actually understand what I'm going through."

Kurt wanted to say more, so much more but he was interrupted by the obnoxious ringing of the school bell. He looked to Blaine in the hopes that he would answer him as the two rose from their seated positions.

"I should probably get going," Blaine said instead. Kurt studied his face for any clue as to what he was thinking. "I'll call you tonight…if that's okay?" He offered a brief nod as Blaine began to leave. He was getting in way too deep. He slowly began heading towards his next class, where he planned to sulk miserably when he suddenly felt a soft vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and confusedly opened a text message he'd just received from Blaine. The one worded message left him utterly lost for words and instilled a sense of giddiness to fight back his miserable mood.

_Courage-Blaine._

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><p><strong>Because how could I<em> not<em> include a courage text from Blaine somewhere?  
>..<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**CANON, WHAT IS CANON? So yeah, most of you have probably realised that this does not run parallel to the timeline in the show. Why is that? Because I seem to be unable to think in a straight line.**

**Secondly I am SO sorry for not updating for almost two weeks I had one of those social life things everyone keeps talking about and whilst it was fun and all, it was also very exhausting. Atrocious I know, so to thank you for being patient, I present you with the longest chapter yet! I have refused to sleep until I finished it so happy 3am from England ._.**

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><p>The rest of the day passed in a blur. Kurt barely paid attention in his afternoon classes as his mind swam in the events of the past few days. He wasn't sure if he could face another rehearsal at Crawford, yet he knew that if he were to skip out, Rachel would literally attempt to murder him. Besides, he only had two more rehearsals left until he could forget about the Cantata and his identity as Kirsty altogether.<p>

He wasn't entirely sure how to explain Kirsty's sudden disappearance to Blaine, he wasn't expecting to get himself so involved with his rivals and was thus planning for Kirsty to simply drop off of the face of the earth. This was clearly no longer possible however though Kurt figured he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Kurt pulled on his wig and glared at his reflection in the rear view mirror of his car, hating himself for allowing Rachel to put him through this. He wished desperately to go back to the previous week and force himself to say no to Rachel's insane plan, save himself the embarrassment and emotional train wreck he had been subjected to all week. Though something nagging in his brain told him that even if he hadn't gone through with it, Karofsky, being the thick-headed Neanderthal he is, would still have kissed him, would still have shattered him.

Only he wouldn't have had Blaine to pick up the pieces afterwards.

Kurt glanced away from his bitter reflection and wondered if it had been for the best. Blaine _had_ supported him but he now must look so weak to Blaine that he was sure a relationship with him was completely out of the question. Despite this however he simply couldn't keep his mind away from the boy. He wanted to be with him, that much he knew. But their current relationship was based on a lie, how could he be honest around him when he has so much to hide?

Deciding it would be best to focus on the road, Kurt drove the short journey to Crawford Country Day and forced himself to get into character. Just two days left.

Upon arriving, Kurt was less than surprised to find the parking lot void of people as usual, classes hadn't yet finished for the day so he climbed out of his Navigator and headed in the familiar direction of the rehearsal room.

"Are you ready?" came Catherine's almost annoyingly cheery tone to contrast Kurt's bitter mood. She held onto both of his shoulders, effectively making his heart stop beating at the surprise.

"Catherine!" he breathed, "Don't scare me like that!" he reprimanded her as she laughed and offered a happy apology. "And what exactly should I be ready for?" he asked when she joined his side and the two walked slowly together.

"You haven't heard? It's all the girls have been talking about all day!" Kurt simply raised an eyebrow, indicating that no, he hadn't heard about whatever it was she was referring to. "The Dalton Academy Warblers invited the Crawford Cantata to watch them perform, they want our feedback to help them out with their 'sexiness'!" she finished, using air quotes.

Kurt was fairly certain his heart ceased beating for the second time in the span of 5 minutes. He had desperately hoped that he wouldn't have to run into Blaine again that day as Kirsty.

"Oh…" was all he managed to squeak out.

"It's all rumour at the moment still, Amy hasn't confirmed anything with the rest of the club but I spoke to Blaine this morning and he told me it was true."

"Is that so." Catherine shot him a confused look when sudden realization had apparently hit her.

"Oh that's right! You haven't seen the Warblers yet! Let me tell you, they are pretty amazing and Oh. My. God. When you see some of those boys I can guarantee you will just melt at the sight of them!" Despite Catherine's obvious excitement, Kurt knew there was only one warbler for him and though the prospect of getting to hear him sing sent a wave of butterflies dancing through his stomach, he couldn't help but want nothing more than to go home, put on his pyjamas and get lost in a movie, forgetting all about his current plane-crash of a life.

This however was not a possibility as Catherine was dragging him into a busy rehearsal room. Clearly the girls were just as excited as Catherine was, if not more, as they were louder than Kurt had ever heard before. Sure they were sassy and bitchy but in a subtle manner and they usually remained somewhat civilized in appearance in order to fit in with upper class atmosphere that was Crawford Country Day. The noise and chaos promptly reminded Kurt of the disorderly discussions of New Directions and a familiar longing made its way to the pit of his stomach.

He didn't have time to dwell on it however as Amy soon arrived and stood on the small stage, more or less screaming at the girls in order to calm them down. It was almost amusing how a daily lack of boys could make the girls so wild at the thought of seeing the Warblers.

"I will have _order!_" Amy cried and the girls were soon quiet enough with a mumble and a giggle here and there. "I don't know _how_ you seem to already know about it, though I have my suspicions…" she said glaring at Catherine, "But yes, Wes Montgomery of the Dalton Academy Warblers invited us to a private performance this afternoon. It will be held where the scaffolding warehouse was before it shut down and we're expected there in 45 minutes so rehearsal today is cancelled." Kurt could tell that she was just as excited as the other girls and the room burst into conversation once more, Amy even joining in laughing cheerfully with Rosemary.

The girls started to disperse and Kurt walked with Catherine back to the parking lot. Catherine was talking about some of the Warblers she knew through her brother and Kurt attempted to look interested.

"Jeff's pretty cool, you'll probably like him and Nick too, Oh and of course there's the council David, Wes and Thad, Thad is pretty popular with the girls here but there's a rumour he's actually seeing someone." Kurt nodded, allowing her to ramble; the names meant nothing to him. Once they reached the car park Catherine said a brief goodbye before joining several other girls who lived on campus in a carpool.

As he started the ignition, Kurt briefly considered just turning around and heading back home but the thought of getting to hear Blaine sing was all too tempting and Kurt found himself driving towards the warehouse. Rachel was most likely aware of the Warblers as well and would likely pluck off his eyebrows or shave his head if she knew he had given up the chance to check them out. At least, that's what Kurt continued to tell himself.

The Warblers were present when he had arrived and they greeted him and the other girls with a charming smile and a polite peck on the cheek, however Blaine was seemingly absent. Kurt couldn't help but think that Catherine had been right, these boys _were_ extremely good looking and their politeness only added to their charm though he didn't feel anything remotely romantic towards them. Not like he did with Blaine.

The warehouse in question wasn't exactly the most glamorous of places to perform, especially considering the prestige group of people who had gathered there. The windows were broken and shattered glass was piled up by the walls as well as several metal pipes which were lying around. Kurt couldn't help but think of the potential hazard they posed if the Warblers really did intend to perform there. In front of him and the rest of the girls was a large structure made of scaffolding that Kurt assumed had been left behind when the warehouse went out of use. Once again he found himself thinking of New Directions and how the boys in his club would be all over the structure, climbing it and just goofing around like they usually did. He smirked to himself, knowing he was going to witness much more civilized behaviour from the private school boys.

Kurt caught himself scanning the place for Blaine, he hadn't seen him when he had arrived and was wondering if he was even going to show up at all. Blaine hadn't talked much about the Warblers and Kurt found himself interested in what sort of performance he was about to witness.

After all of the girls had arrived and the Warblers had made their polite greetings, Blaine, seemingly right on cue, entered the warehouse and made his way to his fellow warblers. He seemed somewhat downtrodden and Kurt couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with their conversation that day. He smiled at Catherine and Kirsty as he walked past and several girls standing to Kurt's left began giggling and whispering, misinterpreting the smile for them. Kurt felt a surge of jealousy as he made sure to glare at the girls. He hadn't entirely given up on Blaine after all.

Once Blaine had had a brief chat with his schoolmates he seemed to regain his usual cheerfulness and he turned to the girls, immediately obtaining their attention with a soft clearing of his throat.

"I would like to welcome the ladies of our sister school; Crawford Country Day," he said with a smile. The girls hung on his every word. Several glanced over to the boys who were gathered to the side but mostly the attention remained solely on Blaine. "As you know, the Warblers are also competing in the show choir's sectionals competition next week. So, what we're going for today ladies is something a little… a little _sexy._"

Kurt's mouth very nearly hit the ground. Did he really just say that?

"But we need your input! Are we _scream-worthy?_" he asked, bending his knees for emphasis. "Do we make your knees turn to jelly?" Catherine rolled her eyes besides Kurt, clearly used to her brother's behaviour; her attention was focused entirely on the group of Warblers behind Blaine though it was difficult to tell which individual she had her eyes on. Kurt on the other hand, much like the majority of the girls, was finding it difficult to peel his eyes away from Blaine as he spoke. Though he found his way of exciting the girls rather comical and dorky, he couldn't help but feel his stomach clench has Blaine growled the word "Jelly"

Never before had a dessert sounded so sexy.

"So without further ado," Blaine continued "Hang onto your bobby-socks girls, 'cause we're about to rock your world." The way he finished, as though he had just concluded an important speech at a business meeting, had Kurt wondering if Blaine was for real. The way he effortlessly had almost every girl in the palm of his hand like putty was almost admirable. They giggled as Blaine turned to join his fellow Warbler's and they finally began their performance.

A chorus of "Na na na na" filled the warehouse as the boys climbed onto the scaffold structure and Kurt made a mental note to never make assumptions about private school students ever again. The song was easily identifiable as _Animal_ by _Neon Trees_ and their a capella rendition was certainly individual.

They sung the intro as one, all running and finding their place on the structure, building up for the main lead. The moment Kurt had caught on to the fact that Blaine was not among the boys singing the intro, he appeared, predictably, at the centre of the ensemble and begun his vocals.

Kurt's breath hitched in his throat at the sound of him singing. It had somehow not occurred to him that Blaine may have been the lead, though he didn't really speak much about his time in the Warblers on the occasions that they had conversed. The girl's around him were dancing slightly to the music whilst Kurt remained entirely still, staring dumbly at Blaine whilst he sang.

He pointed to several of the girls during the lyrics proving the point that yes, they were scream-worthy and yes, they could apparently make their legs turn to jelly. Despite the obvious jealousy that seemed to be building, Kurt forced himself to ignore them and enjoy the performance. Besides, Blaine wouldn't be interested in them anyway, would he?

He continued into the second verse whilst several of the other Warblers did backflips behind him. The girls were getting into the music and were dancing and bouncing freely and Kurt found himself dancing with them. Their choreography wasn't particularly complicated but it certainly had the desired effect. As they made their formation on the ground they began sidestepping, putting emphasis on the hips and shoulders causing the girls to all but fall to their knees as they swooned. Kurt had to admit that his heart was certainly pounding at seeing Blaine so…loose and free. It was clear he loved performing and was putting everything into the performance.

As the pace slowed, Blaine's singing was all but a whispered growl as the warblers joined the girls and began dancing, some even taking off their blazers. Blaine once again climbed onto the scaffolding as the two glee clubs mingled and danced, still singing, some of the girls even joined in. As the chorus started up once more, Blaine directed what looked like a foam machine towards them, sending a mass of bubbles all over and threw some inflatable beach balls down to add to the fun. The Warblers each grabbed a girl by the hand and dragged them towards the mess, all dancing and laughing together. A laugh was even evident in Blaine's flawless singing but no one noticed the fault, everyone was too busy dancing together and throwing foam around to care.

Kurt found himself dancing with a blonde Warbler who had thrown some bubbles into his face. Normally he would have scolded anyone for doing anything to compromise his perfect complexion but he couldn't find it in him to care. This was the sort of performing that he had been missing from New Directions all week, the uncontrolled carnage and laughter whilst still putting on an enjoyable performance.

Blaine had joined the group as he sang through the chorus one last time. Picking up one of the foam-covered beach balls, he aimed and threw it directly at Kurt who screamed and proceeded to throw another ball right back.

Even after the song had ended, everyone continued to dance and play in the foam. Kurt noticed one of the Warblers tackle a giggling Catherine to the foam soaked floor and he had a feeling that he was the one she had been glancing at earlier. The blonde Warbler continued to dance with Kurt until Blaine grabbed him from behind, swinging him around, Kurt's worries completely evaporating.

Soon enough everyone had calmed down, still panting from the foam extravaganza. Though much too quickly, most were saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave. Blaine occasionally gave a warning glance to the Warbler who was talking animatedly to his sister. The girls had confirmed that the performance was in fact very sexy and that they had nothing to worry about for sectionals whilst the boys revelled in the praise. Kurt even complimented his blonde Warbler friend (who he found out was actually named Jeff) that their performance was very impressive. Jeff smiled shyly in response as Kurt caught Blaine in the corner of his eye talking to Jessica and Patricia.

"That's sweet," he heard Blaine say, taking two pieces of paper from the two girls, "But, not your team." The girls were evidently annoyed and walked back to their particular carpool whilst Kurt returned his attention back to Jeff to hide the obvious fact that he had been staring.

"Hey!" Blaine greeted, walking up to the two and pocketing the pieces of paper which were clearly the girl's phone numbers. Jeff gave Blaine a high five as he approached and Kurt smiled.

"I'd say that was successful," Jeff said smiling and Blaine nodded in agreement.

"Do you have a minute Kirsty? I kinda wanted to talk to you about something." Blaine actually sounded nervous, which was shocking considering the amount of charisma he had displayed not ten minutes ago whilst performing.

"Sure…" Kurt responded with a feeling that he knew what this would be about.

Most of the Warblers and the Cantata had left by this point in order to get back to their respective schools.

"How well exactly do you know Kurt?" Blaine asked as they walked slowly together through the warehouse.

"Let's just say I've known him pretty much my whole life," he answered honestly.

"He's great and all but…I'm a little worried. Has he told you about what's going on at school?" Blaine seemed nervous and Kurt couldn't quite figure out how to answer the question. Of course _he_ knew about it but would Kirsty know?

"I'm…aware that he gets bullied and stuff…" he answered slowly

"yeah he…he gets bullied…" Blaine seemed to be struggling, Kurt knew he was referring to what Karofsky had done but the last thing he wanted was to talk about that again so instead, he feigned ignorance. Blaine didn't seem like the sort of guy to go around spilling other people's secrets so he hoped that the subject would be dropped.  
>"I kinda…<em>really<em> want to help him but I feel like if I get to close he'll just break." Kurt nodded as he considered how to reply, this was his chance to convince Blaine not to give up on him!

"Well do you…like him?" he asked cautiously, feeling heat rise to his cheeks as he awaited Blaine's answer.

"Of course I do!" Blaine said with a laugh, "He's so sweet and brave and proud, and really, thank you for setting us up it's just… I'm not sure if having a boyfriend is really what he needs right now, I want to protect him but…"

"Kurt already has a step-brother and world's most over-protective dad, he's got all the protection he needs in that sense. Don't you think that just maybe what he wants right now is someone to hold him, just be there for him so he knows he's not alone?" Kurt found the words rolling off of his tongue without consenting his brain and he found himself wondering if he would regret them as they both fell silent. They strolled out into the parking lot together, all of the others had left by this point and Kurt was suddenly aware of the fact that he was entirely alone with Blaine.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that protective dad of his…" Blaine said with a quiet laugh in an attempt to lift the silence. "But maybe you're right. Maybe I should just go for it. Should I?" Kurt gave an enthusiastic nod in reply until the meaning of Blaine's resolution finally hit him and his grin stretched to reach both sides of his face. "Are you blushing?" Blaine asked, returning his smile just as wide. Kurt looked up in shock, though his grin refused to lessen.

"No I'm just…really happy for you both," Kurt responded quickly, hiding his face. Blaine laughed that beautiful, perfect laugh of his once more, his smile genuine as the two walked together.

"Kurt's really lucky to have a friend like you," he said kindly.

"He's also really lucky to have a boyfriend like you!"

"Woah slow down! We're not boyfriends just yet," he replied, still laughing though his happy tone was soon dropped "I still need to talk to him, I'm not sure if he'd even agree to it at the moment," Kurt decided to be daring and placed a comforting hand on Blaine's arm as they came to a halt besides Kurt's Navigator.

"I think he will," Kurt ensured, barely able to suppress his giddiness.

"I'm just gonna call him now before I chicken out" Blaine concluded as he pulled out his cell phone and Kurt's hand instinctively flew to his bag where his own phone was.

"No!" he said abruptly. "I mean, don't you want to think about what exactly you're going to say to him first?" Blaine seemed to think for a moment before nodding and placing his phone back into his pocket.

"That's probably a good idea, I want to do this right, he deserves…" Blaine stopped mid-sentence as Kurt looked to him expectantly, eyebrows raised. "Isn't that Kurt's car?" he said suddenly, brows furrowed as he gazed questioningly at the black Navigator. Kurt's eyes widened as he realized that yes, that was Kurt's car and he wasn't supposed to be Kurt. "It is, I recognize that license plate, is he here?" Blaine suddenly seemed to panic as he looked over his shoulder at the empty parking lot for the boy who, unbeknownst to him, was in fact standing right before him.

"No, Kurt's not here, I um…" Kurt panicked as his mind struggled to invent yet another lie. "I…borrowed it. Mine's in the shop at the moment so Kurt lent me his to get to school," he laughed nervously though Blaine seemed to accept this without another word. Kurt sighed, wondering how many more close calls he was going to be able to get away with.

"Well anyway, I've got to get back to Dalton so I'll see you later. Oh and…thank you, for everything." Kurt nodded before Blaine entirely engulfed him in a tight embrace.

"You're welcome," he said, his voice rising to a significantly higher tone than usual. The hug seemed to last just slightly longer than a typical hug between friends though Blaine soon released him and the two stood in an awkward silence.

"I should go…" Kurt finally stated after several seconds and they waved their final goodbyes as Kurt climbed into his car, banging his head repeatedly on the steering wheel. He really needed to be more careful with his disguise.

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><p>Kurt arrived home at about 5:30 after quickly changing out of his disguise and ensuring that <em>all<em> of the makeup had been wiped off of his face this time. He couldn't help but glance at his phone constantly in case he had missed a call or received a text from Blaine but every time he looked he was somewhat disheartened to find nothing.

Taking the stairs two at a time to his bedroom, Kurt took a seat on the edge of his bed, phone in hands whilst he legs jittered nervously. His staring contest with the device lasted all of 5 minutes before he decided that he was restless. He needed something to occupy his mind until he received his awaited phone call from Blaine.

He began clearing up the clutter on his vanity table, screwing the caps back on his various bottles and tubs of moisturizers and lotions and deciding on the best way to organize them. He started with size, then tried colour and how frequently he used them before finally trying size again and deciding that was best. He continued to regularly check his phone whilst doing so only to find he had no calls and no texts.

He then did the same with his closet, organizing and reorganizing until deciding it was best how it already was. It was difficult to find menial and pointless tasks to do when his room was already spotlessly clean and organized to perfection. Instead he decided it would be best to try and focus his mind on some homework, keeping his phone beside him at the desk at all times.

Tapping his pen against his open maths book, Kurt tried to focus his attention on the problems on the page. He managed to get a few solved when the sound of Beyoncé's_ single ladies_ immediately ruptured his concentration. Almost knocking his ringing phone to the ground, he managed to take a look at the caller ID and was slightly disappointed to see Mercedes' name light up on the screen.

"What?" Kurt answered in frustration.

"Oh you did _not_ just give me sass boy," Mercedes responded.

"Sorry I'm just waiting for an urgent call," Kurt was anxiously aware that Blaine could be trying to call that very second. "Could we hurry this along please?"

"Well since you asked so kindly," she replied sarcastically, "I was just going to give you Kirsty's Facebook password, you know, in case you wanted it."

"Why would I want…" Kurt paused as he was about to decline, realizing that the Facebook profile was much safer in his control than Mercedes lest she try to meddle again. "Fine, what is it?" He replied with a sigh, making sure to change it so Mercedes couldn't access it.

"'Mercedesrules' no space."

"How modest."

"You know me."

"Can I go now?"

"Yes, but bear in mind you'll be getting an earful from me tomorrow for this attitude," she warned before finally hanging up. Kurt checked his phone for any possible messages that could have been left during the call but found none. Slumping down into his seat, he began to wonder if Blaine was going to call at all.

Kurt spent the rest of the evening moping around his room as his hopes of Blaine calling him slowly diminished. He refused dinner when his dad called him though was soon dragged to the table as Burt was having none of it. He kept his phone beside him at the dinner table, despite his father repeatedly telling him to put it away. There was no way he was going to be separated from it.

Miserable, Kurt lay on his comforter after dinner, still clothed and without carrying out his nightly moisturizing routine. His phone lay inches from his face as he stared blankly at it, the shred of hope that he may still receive a call gone. He stayed there for over an hour as his eyelids began to grow heavy, it was inevitable that sleep would soon takeover. He glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand, 11:13, and wondered when it had gotten so late. Sleepily, he returned his head to his arms and glared at his phone once more, letting out a huff of annoyance and resting his tired eyes.

5 minutes later, he glanced again at the green numbers on his digital clock, 11:51. Okay, maybe it had been longer than 5 minutes. Finally giving up on any call from Blaine, he placed the phone beside the clock and pulled the covers over his head, falling quickly into a grumpy slumber.

That was, until the chorus of _single ladies_ once again filled the room.

"H'llo?" Kurt mumbled, holding the phone to his ear, still half asleep.

"Kurt!" came the familiar sound of Blaine's voice, that was all it took for Kurt to be fully awake and sitting upright, eyes wide and alert.

"Blaine!" he breathed.

"Hey."

"Hey."

The silence that followed was somewhat awkward yet Kurt would have sworn that he could _hear _Blaine smiling on the other end of the line.

"Is there a reason you're calling me at…" he glanced at the digital clock once again "12:30?" He said, feigning annoyance.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he replied nervously

"It's fine."

Kurt could hear Blaine struggling to find words and waited patiently for him to finally speak

"Would you…I just…was wondering if you're free this Saturday? There's something I need to ask you and I want to do it in person."

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><p><strong>Reviews are much appreciated my lovelies! <strong>  
><strong>some drama and plot will be coming in the next chapter so you don't you worry!<br>..**


	9. Chapter 9

**And a million years later she _finally_ updates.**  
><strong>I'm really sorry, I think I'm just gonna have to give in and say updates won't be as frequent as they used to be.<strong>  
><strong>Also when writing this, my brain decided to slip into present tense, so I had to go back and rewrite everything in the correct tense! :|<strong>

**Thankyou sosososo much to everyone who reviews! Keep em coming, they're like crack to me!**

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><p>Kurt drove to school on Friday morning happier than he could ever remember feeling. Despite the whirlwind of events he had been subjected to all week, he walked into school head held high with the largest grin on his face because he knew that things would finally begin looking up for him.<p>

And it was all because of Blaine. He actually still wanted to be with him. He wanted to be there for him. For the first time in weeks, Kurt felt like he could finally breathe.

Mercedes was the first to notice the unmistakable grin that had plastered itself seemingly permanently on Kurt's face.

"You're welcome," Was all she said in greeting as she leaned on a locker adjacent to Kurt's, eyeing him smugly. Kurt glanced over his shoulder, knowing that the girl was going to be absolutely unbearable.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurt replied, trying in vain to look oblivious.

"Spill. Now."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Don't make me hurt you!" she threatened, pointing a finger in his direction. Kurt laughed, knowing full well that it would be impossible to keep this from his best friend.

"Blaine and I are going out again tomorrow. He said he wants to ask me something and I'm _pretty_ sure I know what it is," he said, still grinning.

"And once again, you are welcome," Mercedes said in delight. "But you still haven't even given me the details of your first date, what's he like?" As soon as Kurt was about to begin the never ending list of all that was perfect about Blaine Anderson, he was interrupted by the sudden presence of Rachel.

"Hummel! Crawford update. Now," she was still interrogating him every morning for inside information yet as the week was drawing to a close and she still didn't seem to know what she needed, the diva was getting more and more impatient. "Did you practice any new songs that could be used at Sectionals?"

"We didn't rehearse at all yesterday," Kurt told her, irritated that she had interrupted his girl talk with Mercedes.

"Why not? Kurt, Mr Schue will be back next week and all of our hard work so far has been for nothing and _now_ you're not even rehearsing?" Kurt eyes widened considerably at the mention of '_our_ hard work'.

"It's not like I had a choice Rachel, the Warbler's wanted to perform for them so we didn't rehearse yesterday."

"The Warb…Are you talking about the Dalton Academy Warblers?" Rachel's tone had lowered and her eyes resembled that of a predator that had just come across its prey. "Tell. Me. Everything."

"Why do you even care? It's not like we're not competing against them!" Kurt said a little too defensively. The Warbler's strategy of 'sexy' would definitely be of interest to Rachel however Kurt knew he couldn't betray Blaine like that. Rachel's eyes narrowed fiercely in his direction yet Kurt didn't back down. Rachel Berry had never intimidated him after all.

"Kurt I don't think you quite understand the leverage we would have if we can out-perform the Warblers. And anyway if we win at Sectionals there is a very good chance we could be competing against them at Regionals." Rachel was thinking only of strategy yet Kurt couldn't help but remember what Blaine had said to him on their 'first date'.

"_I don't believe in rivalry between clubs. I mean we all share a common interest right? We should just get along."_

And Kurt knew he was right. What good was being a part of glee if all it did was make him enemies? What he was doing was wrong. Even if the Crawford girls were uptight and most of them disliked him anyway, he was essentially no different from them. They were all part of a group of people who love what they do so much that all they want is to win.

"Rachel no. I'm not telling you anything about the Warblers. I'm done with spying," his voice was raised at this point and Rachel stared wide-eyed, wondering what had angered him. She looked like she was about to protest but Kurt continued before she could get a word in. "I'll go to tonight's rehearsal but that's it. I can't keep lying to people."

"Kurt you were the one who supported me when I suggested we spy. I thought you were on my side." She glared at both Kurt and Mercedes who still stood beside him with a warning look.

"Well I was wrong," Kurt replied bluntly, turning back to his locker in an attempt to ignore Rachel.

"I can't believe you! You're rooting for them now? Are you even a part of this club anymore?" Kurt froze. All week he'd felt nothing but longing for the New Directions as he put up with the gruelling rehearsals with the Crawford Cantata. He'd never felt so distanced from his friends before especially at a time when he'd needed them the most. He finally turned to face Rachel once more, the threatening look on her face reminding him instantly of Amy.

"I don't know, am I?" and with that, he slammed his locker and stormed off, not caring that he hadn't actually managed to retrieve his history textbook.

"What's his problem?" Rachel muttered just as Mercedes shifted to follow him, shaking her head in disapproval at the other girl.

"Kurt! wait up!" He didn't stop but he did slow down enough for Mercedes to catch up to him. "Just forget about her okay!" She sighed. "I knew this whole spying thing was a bad idea from the start." Kurt shot a sour glance to the side as she quickly apologized. "Sorry, not the best time to say _'I told you so' _then I guess…" The two continued walking in an unknown direction, the uncomfortable silence lingering over them. The bell was soon to ring for first period and various students stood huddled by their lockers, chatting happily. "You're not really going to quit glee are you?" Mercedes asked nervously, breaking the silence after several minutes. Kurt breathed a heavy sigh.

He said nothing and refused to look at his friend, instead opting to analysing his spotlessly white shoes.

"Come on," she said, linking their arms. "On Monday, Mr Schue will be back and Rachel won't be in charge anymore. And also by then you'll have yourself a new man to stick up for you!" Kurt smiled, knowing she had a point.

"Of course I'd never quit glee," he said with a laugh, tightening his arm on Mercedes' which was still wrapped around his. "The club would fall apart without me!"

* * *

><p>Blaine was a bundle of nerves the entire day. He couldn't concentrate in any of his lessons and was forever tapping his ballpoint pen against the tabletops, much to the annoyance of his teachers and classmates. He wanted to ask Kurt right away over the phone when he had called him the night before but something just…prevented him from going through with it. He had debated with himself whether he should even call at all until late into the night when he finally did so. He couldn't quite explain what it was that was stopping him. What he had said <em>was <em>true…mostly. He _would_ much rather ask Kurt in person but he somehow knew that that wasn't the only reason. Whenever he thought about Kurt, his stomach would immediate fill with a hundred butterflies yet it always felt as though something was missing.

He just couldn't figure out what was going on inside his mind. At the very least, he had managed to get himself more time to think about what he was going to say.

"_Anderson!_" Mr Armstrong called him out in the middle of English, breaking his train of thought. "Could you tell me the time period in which Gothic literature began gain popularity over the Romantic?" Blaine looked at him wide-eyed before glancing down to his books, though they were no help to him as they all lay scattered on his desk, unopened.

"uhh," Blaine vocalized whilst the rest of the class stared at him amusedly. "I don't know, sir," he said in a polite voice. Blaine hoped he would leave it at that but Mr Armstrong was known for enjoying torturing students who were clearly not paying attention. Jeff gave him a sympathetic smile, secretly thankful that their teacher wasn't picking on him for once.

"In that case would you even be able to repeat what it was I was just explaining to the class?" he pushed further, knowing that the boy would have no clue. Blaine felt it was best to keep silent as he lowered his head in respect to the teacher. No one at Dalton ever spoke out of turn to the teaching staff. Mr Armstrong returned to his lecture with a contented huff, seemingly satisfied with Blaine's humiliation as Blaine forced himself to pay attention. Or at the very least _appear_ as though he was paying attention as his mind slowly drifted away.

Lunch eventually gave Blaine relief from the seemingly endless lessons as he took a seat with several of his fellow Warblers in the dining hall. Students were calmly collecting their lunches whilst a hum of chatter filled the hall, lunch tended to be a very civilized affair at Dalton.

"Good afternoon Blaine," His friend Wes greeted politely as he took a seat, offering a smile to return the greeting. His mind was in no state to make coherent small talk.

"Hey, Blaine, what was that in English this morning?" Nick asked "You always pay attention, something on your mind?"

"More like some_one,_" David said, giving Blaine a knowing glance who in return shot him a piercing glare. Blaine had told his roommate all about the boy in question since their first date together, though he hadn't voiced his doubts to anyone. The other boys' eyes grew wide immediately as they all leaned in, expecting Blaine to gush about his mysterious new crush.

"Whoisitwhoisit?" Jeff asked excitedly as the others voiced similar questions.

"Okay if you guys burst into _summer nights _from Grease I am leaving this table," Blaine said in a monotone.

"So there _is_ someone!" Nick said in confirmation as Blaine realized what he just said.

"One of those Crawford girl's right?" James, another warbler guessed as Nick punched him playfully in the arm.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said.

"I'm just saying, some of those chicks were hot, I think that's enough to change anyone's mind." James continued, diverting the conversation away from Blaine's potential new love interest. Blaine found himself feeling somewhat gratuitous yet on the other hand _that jerk had better not be talking about my sister._

"Hey Jeff, who was that girl you were dancing with?" Nick asked innocently as Jeff looked down with a blush.

"Kirsty," he said with a smile. "She's kinda cute." Blaine's head shot towards his laughing classmates as they patted Jeff on the back. An unfamiliar feeling rattled his entire body as they gave him words of encouragement

"Get in there Jeff!"

"I'd tap that."

"Damn."

Blaine found himself breathing heavier and noticed that his hands were clenched as the conversation around him turned into a blur of sound. The unusual emotion continuing to run its course through his veins until it became very clear what was happening.

It was Jealousy. It was a feeling of protectiveness just as fierce as that for his own sister. It was an unbridled urge to scream at the people he called friends to stay away from the girl they were discussing.

The moment he realized exactly what this pent up emotion was and allowed it to run freely through him, everything suddenly became clear. His apprehension when it came to Kurt and the reason why he postponed asking him out until the weekend.

Abruptly, Blaine rose to his feet and swiftly left the dining hall, leaving his barely touched food on the table. Everything was clear to him now…though that didn't make things any easier. He raced through the exquisite hallways of Dalton dodging students and teachers, past the classrooms and in the direction of the dorms, intending to spend the rest of the lunch period alone with his thoughts.

"Blaine!" David's voice caused Blaine to jump just as he was about to enter the east dorm. He turned to face his friend running towards him with a concerned look painted on his face. "Is this about what we talked about on Tuesday?" Blaine looked at him confused but said nothing, only breathed heavily as the David finally caught up. "You went white as a sheet as soon as Jeff mentioned Kirsty. You like her, don't you?" Though Blaine remained silent, it was perfectly clear that David's assumption was correct.

* * *

><p>As Blaine drove the short distance to Dalton's sister school his mind was a jumbled mess of an array of every emotion he could possibly feel. The jealousy from earlier still remained present as images of Jeff and Kirsty together infested his thoughts. There was also the burning sensation of affection that he felt towards the girl that he just couldn't explain but he knew that he just needed to talk to her, if he saw her in this frame of mind things may start to…make sense. At least that's what he hoped. On top of this there was guilt. This was incredibly unfair to Kurt. He <em>really<em> liked him and he sincerely empathized with everything he was going through, Kurt was everything he looked for in a guy and more but then again, dating Kurt with these feelings towards Kirsty would be even more unfair.

He had eventually come to the conclusion that yes, he did have feelings for Kirsty, strong ones, despite him doing everything to prevent himself from developing such feelings. Everything was just so confusing. Nothing made sense. He'd always been so sure of his sexuality, even when out with Kurt he'd felt certain that he was in fact solely attracted to men. But then everything changed when he was around Kirsty. It wasn't like he felt this way around any girl; it was Kirsty and Kirsty alone who had stolen his attention.

Every time Blaine's mind drifted towards a potential relationship with Kirsty, despite his best efforts to keep him from thinking such things, he would always inevitably remind himself once again of Kurt. His feelings towards the two were completely equal.

_So why am I going to see Kirsty when I can just have Kurt and everything can be simple._

Blaine feels like he knows the answer to this but doesn't dare admit it. Instead he convinces himself that the only reason he's visiting Kirsty is to prove himself _wrong,_ to make everything right again. However the thought that having a relationship with a girl rather than a boy would, in the long run, be so much simpler refuses to leave his exhausted mind.

He arrived at Crawford Country Day just as the girls seemed to have finished their rehearsal and the day students were heading towards their cars.

And there she is.

It takes Blaine several moments to summon up some courage before he hops out of his car and jogs towards her, without a clue on what he plans on actually saying to the girl. The parking lot was almost entirely empty by this point.

Kirsty's face lit up as Blaine approaches her and that one smile was what made him completely lose himself and there was no way he could hold back. That smile was all it took to tell Blaine that the feeling was mutual. And suddenly he can't help himself. Suddenly their lips are connected.

* * *

><p>Kurt left the rehearsal room for the final time with a sense of relief spreading over him. The week was finally over and he could forget about Kirsty all together and at last carry on with his life as normal. He promised himself that the moment he left the school grounds, he would rip off the wig, change into his normal clothes and never set foot back at Crawford Country day ever again.<p>

The girls were cold as ever on Kurt's final rehearsal with them. He hadn't actually told anyone that he would not be returning the following week and had decided it would be easiest to just vanish into thin air. They would forget about Kirsty eventually.

As he said his goodbyes to Catherine, a small twinge of sadness stirred in his gut. She had been the only member who was ever actually nice to him, however he had no choice but to forget her entirely and leave it at that.

He'd thought over the possibility many times that Catherine could easily tell Blaine about the mysterious disappearance of Kirsty and he honestly had no idea what he would do if Blaine asked him about her. A part of him hated himself for lying but it was not as though he had any part in it. Rachel was the one who forced him to spy and Mercedes set him up on the date with Blaine. Things just ended up being more complicated than they should have been.

Most of the other day students were on their way out as Kurt walked into the parking lot. He turned the corner and was more than surprised to see the person who hadn't left his thoughts all day jogging towards him. A genuine smile lit up on his face as he saw him and he knew that he was being all too 'Kurt' in his reaction to seeing him however he had left the mind-set of Kirsty when he had left the rehearsal room.

Blaine came to a stop in front of Kurt and before he could even manage a greeting, Blaine gripped onto his arms whilst his lips were pressing against his own for the second time that week.

Kurt's first thoughts were of pure bliss. Of the fact that Blaine Anderson was kissing him. Again. And this time he had no urge to pull away. The memory of Karofsky wasn't as fresh in his mind as it was the first time Blaine had kissed him. There was no hand cupping his cheek to bring back repressed memories. This time his thoughts were on Blaine and only Blaine. His mouth which was soft and warm and the fact that he could almost feel his pounding heartbeat in his full lips. The kiss was not as deep as their first but instead more experimental and Kurt melted at the perfectness of it. He didn't even bother to consider _why_ Blaine was standing there kissing him and instead allowed his mind to dissolve into nothingness as he thought only of Blaine's lips. Kurt slowly began to kiss back as his mind registered that this was actually happening for the second time.

It took Blaine several moments before he pulled back again and the two merely stared at each other. Every single neuron in Kurt's brain began firing signals, attempting to piece together even just a single coherent thought. The one thought that did finally make sense in his mind however caused his heart to sink right down to his stomach.

Blaine wasn't kissing him.

Blaine was kissing Kirsty.

In an instinctive motion, Kurt's hand came into sudden contact with Blaine's cheek with full force. The strike made a sickening clap that echoed around the now empty parking lot. Blaine remained still, clearly stunned as his cheek reddened from both the slap and embarrassment.

No more words were exchanged between them as Kurt finally managed to make his legs function properly and he broke into a run for his car.

Blaine remained still until the other had finally driven away. Because he knew he had just ruined everything.

* * *

><p><strong>oops<br>..**


	10. Chapter 10

**It is 2:50am right now :|**  
><strong>I stayed up to get this written since I'm going away tomorrow (later today) and I really didn't want to leave y'all without an update. So yeah, chapter 10 whoop!<strong>

**Also, I always vent my fanfic frustrations out on my friend Joe (who hates glee) today I asked him if he knows what my fic is about.**

**His response: "I know that Blaime has fancies Kurts alter ego right?"**  
><strong>Yes Joe. Blaime has fancies Kurt's alter ego. Couldn't have put it better myself.<strong>

* * *

><p>It was evening and Blaine lay with his face buried amongst his downy pillow, hating himself more and more. How? How could he be so impulsive and stupid? That wasn't who he was. That wasn't how he usually functioned. He was normally so put together and sure of himself and what he wanted; there was no <em>need<em> to be impulsive. He'd never even bought so much as a scarf just as an impulse buy, if he needed a scarf, then he would buy a scarf if not then…well he wouldn't. Simple as that. Whenever a decision had to be made, he had _always_ taken every precaution to make sure he was making the right choice. Everything in Blaine's life was organized immaculately, right down to every last curl of his hair gelled neatly in its rightful place.

So why had he kissed Kirsty? The question lingered in his mind and gnawed away at his conscience relentlessly. He wasn't sure what he had been planning on doing when he met her, it just sort of…happened. Not only had he clearly hurt her but he also couldn't help but feel guilt for Kurt. Did this count as cheating? Technically they weren't actually dating…Despite how much he really did want to ask Kurt out the following day. He wasn't sure if he could still go through with it, he couldn't begin a relationship with someone, knowing that he would be lying from the start.

But then there was still Kirsty. He liked her, he was certain of that now, though that didn't make things any less complicated. It was obvious from her reaction that she was not interested in him like that but Blaine couldn't help but remember how she had in fact kissed back at first. The moments before they had pulled away were pure bliss. The lips seemed oddly familiar which he took as a good sign until…

_Slap_

Blaine flinched at the memory. His cheek still stung slightly from the blow and was noticeably red. He should have known that kissing a girl…no, kissing _anyone_ out of the blue like that would result badly.

Did this make him the same as…? _No._ he was nothing like Karofsky. He and Kirsty were friends.

Blaine let out a muffled groan as he willed his brain to just stop thinking, it was only making him feel worse. He wound his hands underneath the pillow and instead tried to think of ways to make things right again. It came as no surprise when nothing came to mind.

The sound of the door being pushed shut alerted Blaine of David's arrival though he still refused to move or even lift his face from the softness of his pillow to greet his roommate.

"Hey where've you been? Why'd you just bolt out of Warbler's practice like that?" David asked, hanging his blazer up in one of the mahogany wardrobes that decorated the dorm room. Blaine replied with nothing. "You still confused about your…problem?" David asked, struggling with how he should word his question. Blaine made an incomprehensible mumble into his pillow which sounded vaguely like the affirmative.

"I talked to Jeff," David continued, regardless of Blaine's lack of response. "He said he'd back off if you and Kirsty are…" this seemed to grab Blaine's attention.

"Me and Kirsty aren't anything," he said in a monotone as he finally lifted himself up, his face lined with creases from the folds in his pillow. David eyed him curiously. "Tell Jeff it's fine. He and Kirsty can…whatever." He shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to convince himself that it really didn't bother him. Of course this was in vain and the moment he closed his eyes, more images of Kirsty together with Jeff fuelled the fire that was his jealousy. He just couldn't understand _why_ he was jealous. He had Kurt and Kurt was perfect for him, cute, smart, witty, a singer…everything that Kirsty was as well. He considered that maybe his protection over her was more of a brotherly sort of thing though quickly dismissed this, He didn't exactly treat Catherine the way he treated Kirsty, he shuddered at the thought. No, definitely not.

So then what made her special? Why was she different to every other girl he'd ever met? Why did she make him question himself? A part of him wanted to despise her for planting doubts in his mind but he knew that would be ridiculous.

"…Blaine?" David's voice derailed his train of thought. The boy looked up and realized he had no idea what his friend had just said. "What's going on?"

"I did something stupid," Blaine replied dejectedly, falling onto his back to lie facing the ceiling.

"Care to elaborate?" David pressed.

"Not really."

"_Blaine."_

Blaine sighed and shifted his head to face his roommate briefly before refocusing his gaze back to the ridges in the ceiling, trying to make patterns out of them in his mind.

"I kissed her," he stated, his voice deadpan.

"who?"

"Who do you think?"

"…Kirsty?" Blaine nodded slowly before taking yet another long breath. "Okay, you need to stop being so melodramatic, the sighing is getting old." Blaine shot him his best bitch-face before allowing him to continue. "so it didn't go well?" David guessed, his tone slightly more sympathetic.

"No," Blaine whispered. "Now everything is ruined."

"Everything being what exactly?" David knew he was being harsh but it was the only way he really knew how to get through to people. Especially Blaine. "You've known Kirsty for what? A week? Not even that? You were perfectly fine before you met her and you'll be fine now." David sat down on his bed opposite Blaine, his hands resting on his lap. "If I'm honest, I don't think she's right for you anyway. I know you Blaine, you're the proudest gay guy I've ever met…not that I know an awful lot gay guys but still! You've always been certain of yourself and then she comes along and makes you question everything. If you have to question yourself like that then I don't think it's love. When you find someone you want to be with, you shouldn't have to think you should just…feel." Blaine let out a snort of laughter, surprising David and even himself.

"Oh my _God_ David, that's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." David smiled and allowed himself to laugh with his friend, despite the fact that the laughter was directed at him.

"I'm serious!"

Blaine threw his pillow at David as a reply. The laughter soon died down however as Blaine's solemn mood refused to be permanently lifted.

"Thanks David but…it's not that simple," he said quietly. "I know that Kirsty probably isn't the one for me but…I mean I don't even know _why_ I kissed her, it's just…well now that I have, it complicates things. There's still Kurt and…and I really, _really_ like Kurt but…and I feel so guilty and Kirsty's his friend, she's bound to tell him what a jerk I am and regret ever setting us up." David sat, arms clutching the pillow that had recently been flung at him, patiently listening to Blaine's verbal mess.

"What exactly makes you a jerk?" he said slowly.

"Weren't you listening? I freaking kissed her, she slapped me and everything." Blaine shot him another glare.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean you're a jerk, you were just…experimenting, making sure, you know? I'm sure that Kurt will understand but _only _if you tell him, don't let him find out through somebody else." Blaine continued to glare though it slowly softened as he wondered whether David was right. "Do you have her number? Kirtsy's I mean. You should apologize and _beg_ her not to tell Kurt. And when I say beg, I mean it, like a dog Blaine, trust me, women are scary. They thrive off of us being inferior to them. Seriously, you should really just stick to guys, at least you know how they work." Blaine smirked feeling somewhat better.

"No I don't have her number, I have her Facebook though, maybe I could message her," Blaine suggested, raising himself up on his elbows. "Pass me my laptop."

* * *

><p>Kurt clutched the steering wheel so tightly he could feel his fingers turning white. He sat outside his house, having quickly changed back into his normal attire during a quick stop on the way home. He couldn't bring himself to leave the car though. He should have known. The first gay guy he had met in all of Ohio turned out to be a major closet case and made his life living hell. The second gay guy he had met in all of Ohio turned out to be a cheater who was looking to get into the pants of anyone he met. He could sense a pattern forming here. He might at well just face it and admit that he's destined to spend the rest of his life alone and unloved.<p>

He just couldn't figure out why he had to enjoy _that _kiss? Blaine had kissed him and it felt amazing but it wasn't right. Why couldn't he have enjoyed their first kiss? The one that mattered? If he hadn't pulled away the first time, maybe Blaine wouldn't have felt he needed to look elsewhere to get what he wanted. Maybe he would have been satisfied with Kurt?

But did Kurt want someone who would merely be _satisfied_ with him, not in _love_ with him?

He finally pulled himself together, enough to convince anyone who asked that he was fine at least, and stepped out of his car, taking the duffel bag with his Crawford uniform on his shoulder and mentally prepping himself for a long night of ice cream and show tunes. Who cares if his hips explode?

First thing's first though, he thought, as he climbed the stairs to his room and slung the bag onto his bed, get rid of any and all evidence of Kirsty's existence. He began to pull out his clothes, creased from being hurriedly shoved into the bag earlier. He couldn't bring himself to chuck out perfectly good clothing and instead made a mental note to donate them to charity or sell them on ebay or something. Emptying the rest of the contents of his bag onto the bed, he noted that the wig needed to be returned to Tina and the makeup to Mercedes…okay so maybe he couldn't get rid of _all_ of Kirsty's existence just yet.

There was one thing he could take care of though, he thought, after placing everything back inside the duffel bag and hiding it in his closet. He took a seat at his desk and shook the mouse of his laptop, bringing it to life whilst trying to remember what Mercedes had told him the previous night. Kirsty's Facebook page _had_ to go, and to do so, he needed the password of course.

He had been so consumed with waiting for Blaine's call that he had almost forgotten his conversation with his best friend the previous night. What did she say it was? He remembered mocking her for it…

_Mercedesrules_!

Kurt clapped his hands as he remembered before typing it in. He was redirected to Kirsty's newsfeed and soon realized that the only updates were from Mercedes and Blaine.

_Mercedes, you couldn't have made this more obviously fake if you tried. _He thought shaking his head. _What normal person has _two_ facebook friends?_

His mouse hovered over the _account _button before he let curiosity get the better of him and clicked the red speech bubble on the opposite side, discovering a friend request from the blond warbler he remembered dancing with.

_Sorry Jeff Sterling,_ Kurt thought as he declined the request, _but this person will shortly cease to exist._

He then allowed himself to click the second red number and found that _Blaine Anderson likes your status._ Scowling, he clicked the notification and found a generic status that Mercedes must have posted, Blaine's name and a small thumbs up displayed beneath it. He continued to glare at the screen before realizing how pathetic he was being. He was jealous of _himself_…that cannot be healthy.

He clicked _account_ and began trying to figure out how to delete the fake profile when Blaine's name suddenly appeared in a box at the bottom right of the screen.

"Go away," Kurt said out loud as he clicked the x, not even bothering to read what he had written. Blaine was persistent however and once again the box appeared.

**_Blaine: _**_can we talk?_

**_Blaine:_**_ please?_

"No." Kurt said again stubbornly to himself. Yet he continued to stare at the chat box, waiting for Blaine's next message when he saw that he was typing.

**_Blaine: _**_Id understand if you would rather ignore me but I just want you to know how sorry I am_

Kurt knitted his brows as he stared blankly at the screen before another message appeared.

**_Blaine:_**_ I really hope this doesnt ruin our friendship, I was just confused_

Kurt slowly moved his hands to the keyboard and began to type before hesitantly pressing the enter key.

**_Kirsty: _**_Confused about what exactly?_

Blaine clearly wasn't expecting a response, especially one as blunt as that since he took considerably longer writing his reply. Kurt waited, impatiently tapping his fingers on his desk and staring at the laptop.

**_Blaine: _**_just everything I guess…but I think I've managed to sort some of it out_

Kurt didn't know how to reply. He knew that he shouldn't, that he should just delete the damn page already and be done with it but a part of him really wanted to stay and hear Blaine out, even if it was much easier to just hate him.

**_Blaine: _**_Im really sorry_

**_Blaine: _**_:(_

Kurt couldn't help but let out a short laugh, the sad face causing him to imagine Blaine with a huge pout and puppy dog eyes, on his knees and begging for forgiveness. There was something about Blaine that was just so…puppy like. He didn't _want_ to forgive him, he wanted to stay angry. Angry was easy. Angry was safe.

**_Kirsty: _**_You're an idiot, you know that._

**_Blaine: _**_Im the BIGGEST idiot_

**_Blaine: _**_and Im a sorry idiot_

**_Kirsty: _**_Then I suppose you're a forgiven idiot._

Kurt wasn't quite ready to forgive Blaine, but apparently Kirsty was…Kurt looked at the screen, realizing what he had just typed. How could Blaine put such a spell on him simply by being adorable? Seriously, he could get away with murder just by saying sorry.

**_Blaine:_**_ I was also wondering if you've told Kurt about what happened_

**_Kisrty: _**_Why?_

Kurt suddenly felt uneasy again, his feet joined his hands as they both tapped nervously, waiting for Blaine's reply.

**_Blaine: _**_because I really like him and I want to tell him what happened_

**_Blaine: _**_if thats okay with you_

**_Blaine: _**_I was actually going to ask him out tomorrow and I don't want to lie to him_

Kurt felt his heart sink, Blaine was still expecting for them to go out the next day. Of course he would be, he has no idea that Kurt knows exactly what he did.

Blaine was still planning on asking Kurt out. Blaine wasn't giving up on him.

**_Kirsty: _**_No, I haven't told him._

Kurt doesn't know why he says that, why he's offering him the chance to redeem himself. Because why should he? Blaine clearly did wrong and Kurt is the most stubborn person in the world.

Why is he finding it so difficult to hate him?

* * *

><p><strong>O David, y u so wise?<strong>

**Some reviews would be nice to read when I get back from holiday!**

**I'll be back in 10 days, hopefully with some motivation. Cheerio my lovelies!  
>..<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Urgh! I'm so frustrated! I wrote most of this whilst I was on holiday, on my _phone!_ that's how dedicated I am! I got back home almost 2 weeks ago and was ready to upload when my router decided to die! D:**  
><strong>Finally managed to get a new one today though so updates shall resume!<strong>

**I quickly set it up so I could post this before I head off to karate, unfortunately I couldn't have a quick read-through before I posted so lemme know if there are any mistakes!**

**Also, Happy Gleeday to those fellow gleeks in the UK! :D**

* * *

><p>Kurt sat alone in the crowded coffee shop as he anxiously waited for Blaine. He ordered himself his usual nonfat mocha and sipped it tentatively. He hated that he was so nervous; 24 hours ago he was ready to do anything just to make time speed up. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling, was he angry at Blaine? He couldn't quite figure it out. He <em>had<em> seemed genuinely sorry when they had last spoken but how did he know for sure that that _was_ genuine? He hadn't exactly known Blaine for very long, could he trust him?

Kurt _did_ want to hear him out, he was willing to let Blaine admit what he did and explain himself. Maybe everything will work out, who knows?

He didn't have long to ponder however as Blaine had suddenly caught his eye, leaning on the counter whilst placing his order.

_Oh god, why does he have to lean forward like that?_

Kurt did everything to avoid staring. He gazed at some of the other customers who were engaged in conversation, twiddled his thumbs for a few seconds. Nothing could keep him occupied for long enough however because Blaine was right there and he was leaning forward against the counter and those jeans were extremely tight…closing his eyes, Kurt willed the thoughts away.

_Just think of something else, _anything_ else. _He told himself over and over again until…

"Are you…okay?" Blaine asked hesitantly. Kurt slowly opened his eyes to find the other standing awkwardly before him, one hand resting on the vacant seat whilst the other clutched his coffee.

"Fine! Absolutely fine, why?" Kurt responded a little too enthusiastically. Blaine, seemingly a little more comfortable, pulled out the empty chair before taking a seat opposite Kurt.

"You were sitting there with your eyes squeezed shut," he said by way of explanation, laughing gently. "You looked like you were in pain or…praying or something."

"Trust me, I'm not the praying type," Kurt said with a grim smile though he didn't fail to realize how close that was to what he _was_ doing. Blaine smiled again and Kurt hated him for being so infectiously happy.

"Were you waiting long?" Blaine asked casually as he ripped open a sugar sachet and poured it into his cup. It was then that Kurt remembered the purpose of their meeting and resumed his anxiousness. His foot tapped nervously against the floor as he desperately tried to work out how angry he actually was. Was he even angry at all? Being with Blaine as he acted as though everything was normal made Kurt feel as though he was…well normal. No secrets and no lies. Blaine looked up as he tore open another sugar sachet and, realizing he still hadn't replied, Kurt hastily shook his head.

"No, not long."

Blaine grinned as yet another sachet was ripped open. Kurt furrowed his brows, eying the growing pile of empty sachets. "Did you want some coffee with your sugar?"

Blaine's eyes widened as he followed Kurt's gaze to his coffee cup and the discarded sugar sachets before laughing gently with a slight nervousness.

Wait, Blaine was nervous?

His confident façade soon resumed however as he took a sip and Kurt visibly cringed at how sweet it must have been.

"I have a sweet tooth," Blaine said shrugging. Kurt scoffed.

"More like diabetes if you're not careful."

Blaine didn't reply but instead stuck out his tongue childishly. Kurt laughed and then proceeded to hate Blaine for making him do so. He soon decided that he did indeed despise the fact that Blaine was acting so normal. He just wanted him to confess to what he did already so he could do something about it. Storm out in the most dramatic of fashions after piercing him with the most spiteful of glares was on the top of his to do list.

_No, no, no _He thought, _I'm here to give him a chance._

Besides, hating Blaine was much easier said than done.

"So how have you been?" Blaine asked, taking another sip of his sugary concoction. Kurt blinked, realizing that Blaine was going to take as long as possible to get to the point. He stared blankly into his coffee, stirring it with an idle hand before shrugging.

"Okay I guess," he said without looking up. "You?" he asked as a formality, not from any desire to know. All he wanted was for Blaine to get to the point so he could hurry up and make up his mind as to whether he loved him or hated him. Presently there was a very fine line between the two.

"Actually I've been a little confused lately if I'm honest," Kurt looked up to find that Blaine was mirroring his own previous actions; staring into his coffee cup looking bland. Kurt could feel his heart in his throat, pounding away like a hammer. Silence hung over them both as neither knew quite what to say. Seeing Blaine looking so dejected and lost invoked a strange feeling of protectiveness within Kurt, he wanted to just hold him and tell him that everything was okay, to forgive him…but then his mind would conjure up the recent memory of Blaine's lust-filled eyes pulling _Kirsty_ towards him and locking their lips in a heated embrace.

No, No, _No! _Kurt's mind reprimanded yet again, _you're doing it again, you're getting jealous of _yourself.

Kurt looked towards Blaine, both still sat in silence, caught up in their own thoughts. Kurt trying to make sense of his jumbled emotions, trying to find out which he was really feeling was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Blaine on the other hand was simply looking for the right words. This wasn't going to be easy. A thousand combinations of words that he had rehearsed the previous night had filtered through his mind and slipped away leaving him at a loss as Kurt gazed upon him expectantly. He took in a heavy breath and released it slowly, deciding to go down a different route. He _needed_ confirmation that Kurt wouldn't leave him, that he was still interested. He couldn't help but think that this was his last chance with him.

Nervously, he made a brief smile before speaking.

"I wanted to see you today because I wanted to ask you something," he said shyly, averting his eyes.

Kurt blinked, that was it? He wasn't going to admit what happened?

"I know we haven't known each other for very long and you clearly have a lot on your plate right now with Karofsky…"

The fine line between love and hatred was growing wider and wider and Kurt found himself securely planted on the hatred side. Of course, he should have known, Blaine only told _Kirsty_ not to tell _Kurt _because he just didn't want Kurt to find out at all, not because he planned on confessing himself. Kurt sank back into his chair, arms crossed, as he let Blaine continue. His face was blank and unreadable as his mind explored the various possible ways of storming out of a crowded coffee shop.

"You know that I really like you and what you said the other day, when we were at your school…you're completely right. If we let Karofsky take _this_ away from us then…well what hope do we have? There's always going to be homophobia, wherever we go…But this is about us, not Karofsky…I don't even know why I brought him up." He was clearly nervous as he began to fumble over his words, "What I'm trying to say is-"

"Okay stop," Kurt interrupted, raising a hand for emphasis, "before you embarrass yourself any more than you already have."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the abrupt remark yet his hopeful smile still remained.

Kurt had had enough of his pretending, all he wanted was some normality, and the sooner Blaine, Catherine _and_ Kirsty were out of his life the better.

"The fact that you have the audacity to ask me out is really quite astounding." He sneered at Blaine who sat in utter confusion, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

"What's wrong?" he finally managed to say, his tone quietly concerned and not unkind.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you _Blaine?"

"I don't underst-"

"I'm not the one kissing someone one day then asking out their…friend the next." Kurt's voiced raised considerably as some of the other customers turned to watch the scene, some with looks of amusement, and others with disgust. Blaine's heart sunk because _how does he even know about that?_ He feebly lowered his head under the strangers' heavy gaze and Kurt's fury.

"Kurt, people are staring…" he said.

"So what! Let them stare." He lowered his volume slightly, yet was still loud enough for the bystanders to hear.

"Please just liste-"

"No, I'm done with you." Kurt hastily picked up his coat and bag before finally storming out of the shop in precisely the way he had been envisioning. Blaine sat frozen as Kurt left, the optimistic bell of the door chiming completely out of place as the door closed shut. He could still feel the stares on him and shrunk under them even more. Abandoning his coffee, he made a somewhat subtle jog for the door.

Kurt thought he would feel a sense of satisfaction upon finally storming out yet none came. Instead he felt empty and lost and on the brink of tears. He had almost reached his car when-

"Kurt!" Of course it was Blaine. Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, willing the brimming tears to vanish however this just caused them to fall, lining his face with two wet streaks. Blaine's hand had clasped his wrist, preventing him from making it to his car, from driving away and forgetting everything.

"Let go."

"Kurt-"

"LET GO." He did yet Kurt did not run to his car, instead he remained still, his back to Blaine and rubbing his wrist.

"I was going to tell you, I just-"

"And _when _exactly were you planning on telling me?" Kurt's voice was small yet demanding. "Were you just waiting until you got what you wanted from me first?" memories of Puck and Quinn swarmed his mind, he would _never_ end up as just a notch on someone's bed post.

"No I wa-"

"What is it that you want from me anyway?" His tone was laced with such dry venom that Blaine knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Wha…K-Kur… _No!" _Blaine stuttered. He gripped onto Kurt's shoulder and turned him so that they were facing. Kurt was looking down, refusing meet Blaine's eye or believe what he was saying. "Kurt listen to me!" Blaine said firmly, hands both clutching Kurt's shoulders like a lifeline. "I would _never_ use you like that, or anyone, I'm…I'm not that kind of person."

Kurt said nothing whilst he still refused to look up. "Don't you think you're overreacting a little?" This was clearly the wrong thing to say as Kurt tore himself away, attempting to make a run for his car yet Blaine was faster and caught him from behind before he could get away, wrapping his arms around his chest in a tight embrace. "Sorry…again, I shouldn't have said that, just…please don't walk away from this Kurt," he whispered in his ear. "I really _really _like you. And I wanna be with you. And I'm so sorry. It was just a stupid mistake."

Kurt sniffed as he suddenly realized the tempo at which his heart was beating whilst tucked neatly in Blaine's firm arms binding them together.

"The only reason I _thought_ I might have liked Kirsty was…well because she reminded me so much of you." Kurt's eyes widened, aware of how close Blaine was to hitting the truth.

Kurt hated Blaine.

He hated him for making him fall in love with him over and over again. The safest option was to forget about him but it was all too easy to just love him. Dating Blaine would be dangerous, there were too many secrets to hide, but…but it was Blaine. How could he refuse him?

Tears were freefalling down Kurt's face as he struggled to come to grips with what he wanted. Blaine was right there, holding on to him as though he was about to slip through his fingers and disappear. A firm hand gently wiped away some of the tears which only made Kurt cry harder.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered, his breath softly tickling Kurt's ear, causing him to shudder. Slowly, Kurt turned himself around in the embrace so that he was facing Blaine. So close that their chests were touching, Blaine held on just as tight. Letting out a shaky sigh, Kurt nodded as his lips twitched in a brief smile.

"I'm so sorry," Blaine repeated, burying his face in Kurt's shoulder.

"I know," Kurt finally spoke with a small laugh as tears continued to roll down his already shiny cheeks. He hesitated slightly before daring to wrap his own arms around Blaine's neck, completing the half-embrace "You've said that like 200 times."

"But I am. I just can't believe that after everything you've been through, I managed to hurt you just as much as Karo-"

"You _really_ need to stop bringing up Dave Karofsky. You're nothing like him, okay?"

"Sorry…"

"You're doing it again, stop apologizing, I forgive you, geez," Kurt replied in mock annoyance before realizing what he'd just said. He forgave him for the second time technically though he didn't really count last night. Still, that easily…there was something about Blaine that he simply couldn't stay mad at. It was infuriating and endearing at the same time.

Kurt rested his head against Blaine's shoulder and Blaine brought him closer. They stood holding each other like that until Blaine finally summoned the courage to say what was on his mind.

"Kurt?" he said, smiling "Can I kiss you?" Taking a large intake of breath, Kurt nodded gently before smiling as Blaine leaned in.

This was going to be it, Kurt thought as Blaine closed the distance between their lips. He will finally get the perfect kiss from Blaine after two failed attempts, though to Blaine's knowledge it was still only one.

Blaine's lips connected softly and Kurt shuddered at the gentleness, his lips were dry and slightly chapped in places which was the result of Blaine nervously biting them the previous night. As soon as the two had joined however, Blaine broke away and rested his forehead against Kurt's affectionately. They stared into each other's eyes, Blaine searching for any signs of hesitation; he wanted to do this right for once. The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a bashful smile as he leaned in again, pressing his lips against Kurt's with slightly more force than before. Kurt pressed back eagerly as their lips began to move against each other's.

Daringly, Blaine slipped his tongue into Kurt's mouth, as Kurt breathed in sharply at the other's boldness. This was definitely new to him, yet not unwelcome. Blaine carefully explored, memorizing the surroundings as Kurt's hand moved from Blaine's neck to his hair, fingers tangling in the dark curls and pulling them free from the gel holding them down. Blaine knew that he would probably soon look like hobo-Blaine once Kurt was through yet couldn't find it in himself to care as he lost himself in absolute bliss.

Blaine's tongue withdrew itself yet both refused to break for air. Kurt could feel Blaine smiling into the kiss and couldn't help but do the same. Every inch of him was willing him to relax and enjoy the moment, to simply embrace the perfect moment with the perfect boy and the perfect kiss.

But it wasn't perfect and he knew it. Anxiety was eating away at him. All of the secrets and all of the lies infested him with guilt. He suddenly remembered why walking away from Blaine would have been the safest option, for both of them. But falling for Blaine was an inevitability.

It was Blaine who broke the kiss this time as they stood, still clutching each other, he laughed nervously whilst Kurt simply smiled, feeling a little lost with the absence of Blaine's lips.

"About…what I was trying to ask you earlier, did you want to…maybe start…dating?" Blaine asked hesitantly. "Me that is…" He smiled that innocently hopeful smile that made it impossible for Kurt to say no, even if he wanted to.

_To hell with the consequences _Kurt thought as he leaned forward to place a small peck on the corner of Blaine's mouth. The translation was received clearly since Blaine pulled Kurt into a tender embrace, nestling into him comfortably despite their being in the middle of a parking lot.

"I promise I'll never hurt you like that again. No more secrets from now on, okay?"

"Okay."

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><p><strong>Enjoy your Klainebows while they last 8D<strong>

**Oh Kurtie, you are hopeless :|  
>..<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**And after disappearing off of the face of the earth for a month and a half, she returns with another chapter!**

**omg guys, words cannot even articulate how sorry I am.**

**sorry :C**

**also, I suck at life. Burt and Carole are already married here because apparently I don't know what canon is.**

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><p>Okay, so kissing boys, Kurt had found, definitely awesome. His first experience hadn't entirely gone to plan, or his second…or third for that matter, but when Blaine placed his familiar lips upon Kurt's in a chaste goodbye kiss in the cramped confines of his car, he knew that that was the feeling everybody talked about when it came to kissing.<p>

Except it wasn't.

It should have been everything he ever wanted, it _should_ have been flawless but it was…somehow lacking. Blaine was perfect, his eyes eager as he leaned in and the bashful smile every time he pulled away afterwards, just everything about him sent shivers down Kurt's spine and raised his hair on end. Blaine _was_ everything he needed and Kurt knew exactly where the source of the problem lay. It was _himself_.

It wasn't _that_ bad though, right? All he did was dress up as a girl and pretend to be someone else in order to deceive Blaine into liking him…well maybe that wasn't his initial intention but it did kind of end up playing out that way. Okay so yeah, it was pretty bad.

How on earth did he possibly think that he could sustain a relationship with someone whilst lying through his teeth? The guilt ate away at him but the thought of telling Blaine the truth made his stomach churn with unease. The way he saw it, he could either; tell Blaine the truth and watch as he inevitably leaves without turning back, _or _keep his mouth shut and enjoy Blaine's blissful ignorance for the rest of their lives…

Yeah, the latter seemed like it involved far less heartache and thus the best option. Except Blaine would question the mysterious absence of Kirsty sooner or later and become suspicious, he would ask questions that Kurt wouldn't have answers for.

_Why_ did he let himself get in this deep? He was satisfied to let Blaine walk out of his life as easily as he had first strolled in before Mercedes had interfered. He would have accepted it if Blaine had decided that Kurt had too much baggage with Karofsky and ended things there. He even actively tried pushing him away and walking out on everything when Blaine kissed him as Kirsty. He had been shocked, confused and angry with Blaine but not half as much as he was with himself and he lashed out at Blaine, trying to make _him_ feel guilty when the person Kurt was really angry at was himself. But yet again, Blaine clawed his way back and refused to step out of Kurt's life.

This comforted yet terrified him at the same time.

_No more secrets from now on, okay?_

The two were parked outside Kurt's house in Blaine's car having spent their Sunday afternoon browsing through the new Chanel menswear collection (Kurt's idea) and trying the amazing milkshakes at some family owned diner (Blaine's idea despite Kurt's protests about the calories).

Kurt had managed to push the nagging guilt to the back of his mind and simply enjoy the day which had inevitably ended far too quickly for his liking. The two sat nervously, neither of them particularly practiced in the art of saying goodbye when Blaine leaned in to steal the innocently quick kiss, unknowingly sending Kurt's mind reeling.

As quickly as he had placed them there, Blaine retrieved his lips from Kurt's and, without fail, there was the shy grin that crept across his face like clockwork every time they kissed, as if he still couldn't believe that he was allowed to claim Kurt's feather soft lips as his own. Kurt hated him for being so predictably adorable whilst at the same time found himself unable to stop staring.

"I'll let you go," Blaine said softly, pulling away as Kurt pined the loss of their sudden closeness.

"Why don't you come inside?" Kurt suddenly asked before his brain could register what he was suggesting. "I mean, my dad and step-brother are at a football game and I think Carole is at work so we'd have the house to ourselves,"

Blaine jokingly raised a suggestive eyebrow as Kurt internally kicked himself because that was _not_ what he had intended on implying.

"No…what I meant was, urgh!" Kurt huffed as Blaine chuckled at his discomforted. "I just meant that you won't have to suffer through meeting my family, particularly my dad."

"You're adorable," Blaine said through his smile "And I'd love to come inside." Kurt flushed at the compliment as Blaine switched off the ignition and they both exited the car.

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><p>"So this is my room," Kurt said as he led Blaine through his bedroom door and sat down on the bed, gesturing for Blaine to do the same. Blaine took in the surroundings, nodding in approval before joining Kurt.<p>

"It suits you," he said grinning and leaning his head on Kurt's shoulder. His hand gently inched towards Kurt's before grasping it, the silence between them awkward and heavy as was custom in the early stages of a relationship. Blaine's hazel eyes were wide and welcoming as Kurt found himself getting lost in them. Realizing his breath was becoming laboured; he smiled in response and tore his eyes away to stare at the vastly less interesting ornaments that decorated his shelves in an attempt to control the obvious blush radiating from his cheeks.

Blaine however had other plans as lifted his head off Kurt's shoulder and raised his hand to gently cup Kurt's cheek, smiling softly and only causing Kurt's blush to deepen.

"You're really beautiful," Blaine said, his own cheeks began to redden as he slowly leaned in to steal a kiss. Kurt exhaled gently; kissing Blaine will never not leave him breathless. "I know we haven't known each other for very long and I'm probably just being a stupid teenager but…I just…I feel so comfortable when I'm around you, I really feel like I can trust you Kurt."

Kurt's heart beat a mile a minute yet he was pretty certain it had dropped to the pit of his stomach as he hated himself even more. Why did this have to be so hard? Why did Blaine have to say the most perfectly wrong things?

Suddenly, he pressed forward again into another soft peck, and another, and another and Kurt couldn't find it in himself to pull away. Blaine's hand cupped Kurt's heated cheek, deepening the kiss as Kurt's breath hitched in his throat. Everything was new and fresh and Kurt had never experienced such tenderness from another boy before. It suddenly didn't matter that their relationship was tainted. All Kurt could dwell on was the fact that Blaine was kissing him like _that_ and that Blaine actually _wanted _him.

All coherent thought having already left his mind, Kurt weaved his arms around the other's neck and simply allowed his feelings to take over _because Blaine was kissing him and it felt awesome._

Suddenly Blaine's tongue was licking at Kurt's bottom lip, begging for entry like a puppy whining at the back door. Kurt eagerly granted him access and felt Blaine's hot tongue pressed again his own for the second time that weekend.

Blaine continued to press in deeper, unable to get enough of Kurt's taste; peppermint with a hint of the banana and Oreo milkshake he had had that afternoon. Kurt received the kiss gratefully, pressing back just as eagerly when Blaine withdrew his tongue and instead began sucking on Kurt's bottom lip. Gently nibbling and tugging. That was definitely new and Kurt reveled in the foreign sensation, memorizing every tender bite.

_So this is what making out with someone feels like… _Kurt couldn't help but think to himself. He'd heard the guys in glee talking about doing this with girls and had quite frankly found their descriptions of _'macking on hot chicks' _to be rather disgusting, and his experience with Brittany the previous year was one he would rather forget.

Lips still locked, Kurt plucked up the courage to be daring enough to slip his own tongue between Blaine's parted lips and return the favour. It was a weird sensation, having his tongue in someone else's mouth, the textures feeling oddly familiar yet entirely alien at the same time.

Abruptly, Kurt could feel Blaine's weight resting heavily upon his shoulders urging him downwards, a flutter arising in his chest as Blaine lay on top of him on the bed, arms supporting him on either side of Kurt, refusing to break contact with his lips.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kurt said hurriedly into Blaine's mouth pushing him off gently as the latter's forehead creased with worry.

"I'm sorry, is this too much? W…we can stop if you want to," he asked, slightly panicked. Kurt giggled.

"No, it was…this is…nice." Kurt internally kicked himself because _really? Straight As in English and the best adjective you can come up with right now is 'nice'? _Blaine smiled a little uncertainly as he lifted himself up off of Kurt and back into a sitting position. Kurt quickly followed suit "No, really, it was amazing," he assured, touching Blaine's upper arm in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture, yet all Kurt could think of was how firm Blaine's biceps were beneath the soft wool of his sweater. "And it will continue to be amazing after I've hung up my jacket," Kurt stated, as he stood, pulling the burgundy jacket off his shoulders, revealing a black and grey striped top underneath "I just had it dry cleaned, do you know how hard it is to get wrinkles out of this thing?" he asked rhetorically, pulling open his closet door and taking out a hanger for his jacket.

He didn't notice the Gucci Duffel bag as it toppled to the floor, its contents half spilling out onto the carpet behind him.

Blaine knelt, picking up the bag, to help clear up. The wig however caught his attention. He picked it up eyeing it with curiosity, not quite understanding how it could look so familiar to him.

"Why on earth do you have this in your closet?" he asked, sounding amused and holding up the hair piece for Kurt to see.

Kurt turned to see what Blaine was talking about, his heart stopping at the sight of Blaine holding up the wig, an indecipherable yet slightly confused looking grin on his lips.

"That's…nothing just…uhh…" Kurt sputtered as he attempted to snatch the wig from Blaine. He wasn't fast enough however as Blaine leapt to his feet and took a step back, distancing himself out of Kurt's reach, smiling playfully. "Give it!" Kurt demanded starting to panic.

"Only if you try it on!" he countered waving the offending object just out of Kurt's reach as he tried to grab for it again.

"No way," Kurt replied in a small, petrified voice. If he were to put that wig on…just no.

"Oh come on! just…"

"_Give me the wig Blaine,"_ Kurt said dangerously slow, his voice raised considerably and his eyes boring into Blaine's with his most threatening glare. Blaine blanched at Kurt's sudden intimidation and how quickly the mood had changed, handing over the wig with a hurt expression.

"Sorry," he said feebly, not quite understanding Kurt's anger. Kurt finally managed to snatch the wig back, his heart pounding in his chest at the close call. He let out a relieved sigh as he bent down to pick up the fallen duffel bag. He hadn't realized the bag was upside down however as the rest of the items within spilled out onto the floor. That included makeup, a blue tartan kilt and, probably the most mortifying of the lot, several pairs of pantyhose. Kurt hurriedly fell to his knees, putting aside the wig and scrambling at the pile in a vain attempt at keeping it from Blaine. Who, not only had seen the clothes, but had already taken the skirt before Kurt could retrieve it.

"Kurt…" he said uncertainly, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. "Why do you have a Crawford Country Day uniform?" He looked up expectantly, his conscience coming up with several answers that he refused to believe.

"There's….a good reason for that…" Kurt stuttered.

"And a wig…" Blaine slowly picked up the wig that Kurt had dropped in his haste to retrieve the clothes. It was suddenly clear to him as to why the thing looked so familiar. He looked from Kurt to the wig and back again, a look of horror and confusion on his face. Kurt just stared at the floor, knowing the charade was up. It was over. Slowly, Blaine placed the wig over Kurt's real hair, Kurt not even bothering to protest, instead just flinched slightly as the soft brown curls tumbled over his shoulders. "Shit…" Blaine breathed. It was the first time Kurt had ever heard him curse. "What the _hell_ Kurt?" he exclaimed frantically. "K…Kirsty…? What?"

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered in the smallest voice he could.

"I don't want your apology, I want an _explanation!"_ Blaine said, his voice a tone Kurt had not heard before. It wasn't entirely malicious, but there was some anger mixed in with the agitation and bewilderment. Kurt felt two feet tall, kneeling on the floor beside the spilled duffel bag of clothes as Blaine stood, glaring down at him. "You lied to me?" Blaine continued when Kurt said nothing. "From the moment we met, you've been lying to me?"

"It wasn't my idea to-"

"And you made me feel so _guilty_ when all along…when all along it was _you_ I kissed."

"I'm sorr-"

"Who the hell even _are_ you?" Kurt stared at him wide-eyed, how had things gone from everything he ever wanted to absolute hell in the space of 5 minutes?

"I'm still me, I'm still Kurt, Blaine!" he said desperately

"How can I believe that? When all you've done is lie to me? I really trusted you Kurt, I honestly thought you were different."

"Blaine-"

"How much of anything that you've told me actually true?" Kurt looked down, unable to answer because how could he? "Did this Karofsky guy _really_ kiss you or did you just make that up to get me to feel sorry for you? The same way you pretended to be Kirsty to set me up on a blind date with yourself? Or how you lied about-"

"No," Kurt interrupted almost hysterically "I wasn't lying then, Karofsky really did…but this isn't about him anyway. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to go as far as it did, honestly, everything just got so out of hand. I wasn't planning on meeting you and…and liking you as much as I do. Because I really, _really_ like you Blaine." Kurt was desperate, he'd had a taste of what it would be like to be with Blaine and he wanted it so badly. He wasn't ready for this to end so suddenly.

"I thought I liked you too. I guess I was wrong about you," Blaine said, barely above a whisper as he strode over to the door.

"No! Blaine please wait!" Kurt cried, rising to his feet. He wanted to hold Blaine, embrace him like he had done in the Lima Bean parking lot when Kurt was ready to walk out, when their roles were reversed. He wanted to at least hold his hand or grip his beautifully firm arms, anything to keep him from leaving and to let him know how desperately he _needed_ this, how much he needed someone like Blaine in his life. Even just as a friend. However he lacked the courage that he found in himself mere moments ago. He couldn't bring himself to go near the other boy anymore, let alone touch him. All the confidence he had been building up around Blaine had crumbled to pieces in a mere matter of minutes. "Please," was all Kurt could say in a timid voice.

"You've made me feel like such an _idiot,_" Blaine said, opening Kurt's bedroom door. "I can't trust you anymore Kurt." With that he left.

* * *

><p>At first Kurt cried. He cried for hours. He cried standing in front of his bedroom door after Blaine had left. He cried on the floor, his face buried in his knees. He cried on his bed, curled up in a ball, wishing things could have been different.<p>

He stared at his phone, hoping, praying to _anything_ that Blaine would text or call or _something._ He briefly entertained the idea of calling him but quickly discarded it. There was no way he'd answer the phone, and even if he did, Kurt had no idea what he would say to him.

He spent a lot of time hating Rachel. He hated that she made him do this. He hated that if it wasn't for her he would never have met Blaine in the first place however he then became confused as to whether having never met Blaine would be better than the pain he was currently feeling.

It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all or something right?

No, that definitely just made him feel worse.

He briefly resented Mercedes for setting them up. He could have quite easily forgotten about Blaine if she hadn't interfered. He could have continued without ever knowing what he was missing. He knew that was stupid though, Mercedes was his best friend, she was only trying to help.

When the rest of the household returned home later that night, he tried to be as discreet as possible about his ugly mood, passing it off as a headache and asking to be left alone whilst he hid in the safety of his bedroom. They respected his wishes and Carole brought him up some soup to try and make him feel better. He thanked her and she left, that was the last contact he had from anyone for the rest of the night.

The soup was still there the next morning, untouched.

After a while, Kurt stopped crying, he stopped hating his friends for his own stupidity. He was the one who thought he could sustain a relationship built on lies. The pain numbed, he just stopped feeling all together. He went to sleep around 11 after hastily brushing his teeth but not bothering with his nightly moisturizing routine. His head pounding and his eyes swollen from all the crying, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>Btw, Kurt and Blaine weren't actually planning on doing anything more than just kiss on the bed, really, I know it sounds like they were gonna...But yeah. They've only known each other for like a week or something...<strong>

**Review? (even if it's just to yell at me for how long I'm taking)  
>..<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**And to make up for my appalling lack of updates lately, I bring you another chapter! I will admit, this is mostly filler but there is some drama towards the end.**

**I'm trying my best to get this finished, so updates will be frequent!**

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><p>It was 6am when Kurt first awoke the next morning. His head felt like it was made of lead as he attempted to raise it off his pillow but ended up crashing full force and face first back into it again. He <em>really <em>didn't want to face school that day however sectionals were a week away and he'd wasted the whole of the previous week at Crawford. He'd told Rachel as much as he could about the all girl's glee club. Possible set lists, their arrangement style the strengths and weaknesses of their lead soloists. He honestly didn't see how knowing what they were going to do would help _their_ glee club but Rachel devoured the knowledge he passed on regardless.

Kurt couldn't bring himself to actually get out of bed until almost 7 and by that point Finn was already hogging the bathroom.

"Finn!" he screeched through the locked wooden door, pounding it with his fist. "_Hurry up,_" his own voice did nothing for his still pulsing headache but yelling at someone, even if Finn had done nothing wrong, certainly made him feel slightly better.

"Geez, what's up your butt?" Finn exclaimed, pushing the bathroom door open as Kurt shoved him out of the way. "Normally you're ready and yelling at Burt for eating bacon by now," he huffed as Kurt slammed the bathroom door in his face, muffling Finn as he yelled "Not cool dude!"

Kurt swiftly undressed and when he finally had the therapeutic pounding of the steaming hot water against his back he let himself remember everything. How Blaine had left. How he was back to being alone all over again. How Karofsky was still there and who knows what he was capable of now he knew that Kurt had told someone about what he did. He tried not to cry. He tried to convince himself that the warm streaks rolling down his cheek was just water from the shower but there was no kidding himself. He didn't _want_ to hurt, he didn't want to feel this pain. He just couldn't understand why it hurt so _much_. He had only known Blaine for a single _week_, yet now that he had been suddenly ripped away he felt so empty. He'd finally begun to feel safe, even with Karofsky around. It was just nice having someone who understood exactly what he was going through. He loved his friends but none of them really got it, they can't empathize when they have no idea what it's like.

Blaine just understood.

Kurt emerged from the shower after about 20 minutes; his skin flushed a dark pink. Wiping some of the condensation off of the mirror, he decided that his crippling depression was no reason to skip out on his moisturizing routine as he touched a finger to his wet cheek.

The half an hour it took him to carry out his usual morning moisturizing seemed to alleviate some of his angst. The routine application made him feel normal and structured and helped keep his mind away from…well from real life.

All he had to do was stop thinking about things and he would inevitably get better right? Just block out all of the bad things from his thoughts. Ignore the bullies and the taunts and the locker shoves and the forced kisses. Push the sadness away, just stop thinking negatively things could always be worse.

He knew it was hopeless.

He and Finn drove to school in utter silence. Finn was still pissed off at Kurt's morning outburst and Kurt simply had nothing to say. He instead slouched in his seat, stared out of his passenger window, and felt sorry for himself.

"What is _up_ with you?" Mercedes asked as Kurt stood at his locker, preparing his things for third period. He'd avoided pretty much everyone all day and had made it so far with as little verbal communication as possible. He continued this trait by ignoring Mercedes, giving her a side-glance but saying nothing. "You've done nothing but mope around all day," Kurt let out a long exhale because that was probably the one word to describe his current feelings that would definitely _not_ make him feel better. "Are you okay?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Kurt shrugged. No, he wasn't okay, but he didn't really feel like talking. "Kurt please, tell me what's up, I'm here for you."

"It's nothing," he lied in an attempt to be left alone. "Really."

"Okay, I _know_ you are lying to me boy. On Friday, you were so happy you looked like you were about to puke rainbows or something. Well, at least before Miss Self-Elected-Queen-Of-The-World decided to butt in, but still, what's going on?" she persisted, following him after he'd closed his locker and began walking to his French classroom.

"I really don't feel like talking about it right now Mercedes," he muttered, clutching his bag to his chest and keeping his eyes locked to the ground as he spotted Karofsky round the corner ahead of them and begin sauntering in their direction. He could _feel_ the glare as it penetrated through his skin and he knew in that instant that he had never felt more alone and helpless. Mercedes did not miss the intense moment and her gaze lingered on Karofsky as he continued on his way, wherever he was going.

"Is it Karofsky? Is he giving you a rough time again?" she asked. Kurt had to still his nerves because it wasn't that Karofsky was giving him a rough time _again_, he'd never _stopped_ harassing him, but nobody seemed to notice that fact. If Kurt appeared okay, then he was okay, even if he was falling to pieces on the inside.

"Sort of," he mumbled and hoped it would be left at that as he escaped from his friend and into his next class.

The rest of the day passed by swiftly, Kurt attempted to take notes in his classes but found it increasingly difficult to decipher what his teachers were lecturing about, especially when his headache returned full force. He pushed Blaine out of his mind as much as he could but it was near impossible considering his entire life for the past week had mostly revolved around him and his sister.

He considered skipping lunch but as soon as the thought crossed his mind his stomach growled in protest. It was then that he realized that the last thing he had consumed was the banana and Oreo milkshake he'd had with Blaine the day before. He sighed in reluctance as he walked into the cafeteria, getting himself a chicken salad and seeking his friends out.

He really shouldn't be pushing them away. He had been feeling so alone and abandoned for too long. At the Crawford girl's rehearsals, he had done nothing but pine over his friends as he realized how not-crazy his glee club actually was in comparison to some. He'd done nothing but feel sorry for himself because Blaine had gone, the only other openly gay kid he'd ever met, but really, it wasn't his friends' fault that they couldn't empathize with him. He just needed to actually let them in instead of being a closed book all the time, maybe then they could help him.

He smiled softly as he sat down and picked at his salad. Mercedes leaned her head on his shoulder to try and comfort him, despite the fact she had no idea why he was so upset.

"It's Blaine," he finally said, Mercedes and Tina looking up at him expectantly. "He doesn't want to know me anymore."

"What?" Mercedes exclaimed. "Tell me everything!"

"Who's Blaine?" Tina asked.

So Kurt explained. He filled Tina in on the beautiful boy he met and how Mercedes had insisted on setting them up. He then proceeded to tell them both about when Blaine had kissed him as Kirsty. How they had argued at the Lima Bean but ultimately managed to fix thing. How sick Kurt felt about lying to Blaine and how paranoid he was, and finally, how Blaine had found out the truth.

He left out the part about him being terrified to his core of Karofsky.

"He didn't really seem all that angry, he just sounded…hurt. I hurt him so bad and now I feel like crap." Mercedes hugged him tightly and Tina placed a warm hand over his across the table.

"So it's because of your disguise as Kirsty that pushed Blaine away?" Mercedes pressed.

"Pretty much," Kurt replied miserably.

"I'll kill her," she said through clenched teeth. Right then, as if on cue, Rachel sat down at their table besides Tina, beaming slightly, unaware that Mercedes was plotting her death. "You!" she accused pointing a threatening finger across at her, "It's because of you that my boo is miserable right now!" Rachel's eyes widened in shock at the outburst.

"Mercedes, calm down, it's not Rachel's fault, despite how much I really _want _to blame her, I shouldn't have lied to him," Kurt interrupted.

"But Kurt, She's the one who put you up to this in the first place! She made you spy on those guys."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Rachel begged and Kurt looked wearily over at Mercedes, he really didn't feel like explaining everything again, so instead Mercedes gave a shortened version.

"So let me get this straight," Rachel said slowly once Mercedes had filled her in. "Not only are you a total hypocrite for judging me for being with Jesse last year, but we'll get to _that _later, but also this Blaine guy knows that you were spying?" Kurt narrowed his eyes at her before she continued. "This guy whose _sister_ is in the glee club you were spying on. The very same glee club who sabotaged their opposition in past years simply for _being the opposition._" Oh. Everyone at the table froze in realization.

"We're dead," Tina said frankly.

"Kurt, how could you be so careless?" Rachel hollered accusingly.

"Hey! Lay off Kurt," Mercedes defended as Kurt shrunk into his seat. He couldn't possibly feel any worse; those girls were going to destroy them and any chances they have at sectionals. There was no way Blaine hadn't told Catherine about him. "He's been through enough because of your idiotic plan, which I was against from the start."

"Yes Mercedes, you're quite right and I have learned my lesson; never listen to Rachel. _Ever,_" Kurt said in a monotone.

"Hey, if you hadn't gone and met this guy in the first place and instead just did what you were supposed to, none of this would have happened," Rachel replied.

"Okay, if another word comes out of that mouth I'm gonna punch it." Mercedes rose from her seat threateningly.

"_Guys,_" Kurt said boldly, interrupting the two and pulling Mercedes back down to her seat. "Stop it, this is no one's fault but my own, now if you'll excuse me," he left the lunch room, abandoning his salad despite his protesting stomach and the calls from his friends.

He had told them, they knew and it hadn't helped in the slightest. He still felt completely and utterly alone.

He emerged from the cafeteria, unsure where he would actually spend the rest of his lunch break and walked aimlessly down the mostly empty hallways. He stopped at his locker and packed his bag for his afternoon classes, saving himself the job of doing it later and chancing an encounter with Mercedes or Rachel. Just as he slammed the door shut, the hulking figure of someone he was _really_ not in the mood to deal with appeared behind it. A dangerous scowl danced across his features.

_Be brave._ Kurt urged himself. _Blaine told you to stick up for yourself so _do_ it._

"What's up princess?"

"What do you want Karofsky?" Kurt asked, not looking over at the bully and willing his voice to stay steady. When he said nothing, Kurt turned from his locker and attempted to just walk away, however he should have known that Karofsky would not let him leave so easily. The larger boy gripped his shoulder in a vice-like grip, forcing them to face each other. The contact made Kurt's skin crawl but he hid it well enough.

"So you told your boyfriend about what you did huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kurt replied, furrowing his eyebrows, trying to hide the fear.

"You know, about how you kissed me."

"You kissed _me,_" Kurt corrected but was quickly silenced by Karofsky death glare before he hastily scanned the halls for other students who may have heard, he quickly sighed in relief when he saw none.

"You tell anyone else?" he asked accusingly yet Kurt could sense the worry that lingered beneath.

"No," he replied softly "I'm not going to out you if that's what you're worried about. Your secret's safe with me," he assured, hoping that just maybe, they might be able to come to some sort of agreement.

"Good," was what Karofsky replied with. "Because if you do, I will kill you," he said. There were no emotions evident on his face, he was completely unreadable. Kurt didn't want to test if he was bluffing or not and even if he did, there was no way he'd be able because he was pretty damn certain that his legs were never going to function normally again. Karofsky stalked off, leaving Kurt alone in the empty hallway, his eyes wide and his body trembling. He'd received plenty of threats before, simply for being gay, for being who he was. But death threats?

He never knew that mere words could invoke such fear within him.

And Blaine, the only other person who knew what Karofsky did was now cut out of his life so cleanly. He had no one to turn to, no one who understood. He had no one.

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><p><strong>Sadly no Blaine this chapter. He's still rather pissed...Reviews might cheer him up though! :D<br>..**


	14. Chapter 14

**Omg you guys, seriously I love you!**

**You've been so patient and kind with me! So I'm rewarding you with another chapter!**

**I wrote this today and I'm actually really pleased with it, I hope you are too!**

**Things are heading towards the end now and I'm really excited! :D**

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><p>Rehearsals with the New Directions were the same as ever. Mr Schue had returned and things went back to their ordinary structure. Kurt refused to talk to anyone. He'd get up and sing with the group as they prepared their numbers for sectionals but there was really no need for him to speak. He wasn't a lead soloist (though that was no surprise to him) and no one listened to his input anyway.<p>

It was Tuesday afternoon and Kurt was sitting alone in the corner of the room, waiting for Mr Schue to arrive and begin rehearsals. Mercedes had claimed the seat beside him but he just couldn't talk to her. He knew he was being awful and really, Mercedes had done nothing wrong, but on top of everything that had happened with Blaine, Karofsky had shaken him up so badly the previous day that he was certain he'd never be able to have an ordinary care-free thought for the rest of his life.

Rachel stormed in with her usual air of confidence and annoying self-importance and immediately went to stand in front of Mike who looked, quite frankly, utterly terrified.

"Mike Chang," she addressed him formally. "You're a dancer, right?" Mike nodded shakily, eyes wide, he was pretty sure that Rachel had never spoken to him before in his life. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the other side of the room to sit beside Brittany despite Tina's calls of protest. "From what Kurt has told me, the Crawford Girls' dance moves are stiff and over-rehearsed, so you two are going to choreograph a spectacular dance number for sectionals, but don't make it too eye catching, I don't want it to distract people from my singing." Mike and Brittany glanced at each other, shocked that Rachel was willing to share the limelight for one song but clearly enthusiastic about actually being able to showcase their abilities for sectionals.

"That's a great idea Rachel!" Mr Schue's voice suddenly sounded throughout the choir room as the teacher entered the room. "I was actually going to suggest the same thing and I have to say I'm very impressed that you're finally letting other people perform!" Rachel shrugged, in an attempt to be humble, no one was buying it.

"What can I say, we have a lot of talented people in this group and by showcasing them, we have a real chance of winning sectionals," Kurt scoffed, he couldn't believe how close-minded she could be sometimes.

"Exactly!" Mr Schue agreed. "You know I honestly thought I was going to have to fight you over this, but I'm so glad you understand. Sam, Quinn, congratulations on your first duet for sectionals! And Santana, I was thinking maybe you could take the solo for Mike and Brittany's dance?" The entire room was silent, everyone looking towards Rachel, anticipating the riot that was about to proceed. In five seconds flat, the room was in chaos. Rachel loudly protested about her supposedly deserved spot centre-stage and everyone else just tore her down. Finn stepped up to defend Rachel, and suddenly everyone was shouting. Everyone except for Kurt that is, who buried his face in his hands, willing the loud noises to go away.

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><p>Wednesday passed much the same as Kurt avoided speaking unless absolutely necessary. Karofsky had threatened to kill him if he told anyone about what had happened so he figured the best way to stay alive was to stop talking all together. After a while, Mercedes stopped trying to get him to talk or cheer up, thinking he was still upset over Blaine and figuring he just needed time to get over it, promising to take him shopping once sectionals were out of the way. Kurt nodded at the proposal because yeah, he was still distressed over Blaine, if Blaine hadn't left him, he wouldn't be half as petrified as he was of Karofsky. He would have someone to tell him things were okay, he'd have someone to relate to. No one else knew the extent to what Karofsky was doing to him and no one else will ever know, because if Kurt ever told anyone…<p>

He went to glee rehearsals and swayed in the background behind Quinn and Sam whilst Rachel pouted, repeating over and over how her talent was not recognized, how she'd be more appreciated elsewhere and plenty of other remarks that no one was paying attention to.

_Get over it_ Kurt thought to himself. He'd never had a solo for a competition and to be perfectly honest, worse things happened.

Kurt found himself leaving rehearsals in a worse mood than when he went in. Glee club was supposed to be about…well glee. About singing and expressing yourself. Rivalries between clubs were bad but rivalries within clubs were beyond ridiculous. What was the point in competing if all it did was tear people apart? He couldn't help but think over what Blaine had told him on their first date and had never thought someone could be so right about something.

And then he was suddenly thinking about Blaine again.

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><p><em>Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo,<br>the way you move ain't fair, you know!_  
><em>Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight,<em>  
><em>Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do tonight<em>

_Hey, hey,hey_

_Tonight_

_Hey, hey,hey_

_Tonight_

The blazer clad boys stood in their formation, smiles plastered upon their faces as their number ended before the perfect image was broken as they took a break from rehearsing.

"Oh my _God_ Blaine, that number couldn't have been more depressing!" Council member Thad berated as several others seemed to nod in agreement. "Sectionals is coming up and our aim is for the judges to vote for us…not kill themselves." It was a little harsh but Thad didn't care, the Warblers had always functioned best on tough love.

"Come on Blaine, why the long face all of a sudden? Is something wrong?" Wes asked, a little more concern in his voice because underneath their unity as a singing group, they were all still friends after all.

"I'm fine," Blaine shrugged them off. "Shall we run through it again? I'll try to be a little more cheerful this time."

"Define 'a little' because you're gonna need to be a _lot_ happier for us to sell this song to the judges." Nick said, giving Blaine an encouraging pat on the back. "I mean this song is about finding someone you love and can be completely yourself around, you should at least smile…"

"Okay! I get it, I suck. I'm just…having a bad week," Blaine said, throwing his hands up in defeat. Nick's words had really hit home.

"You don't suck Blaine," Thad said, infinitely kinder than he had been before. "I mean vocally, you were perfect, it's the _emotions_ we need. We need to show that we're not just a bunch of singing robots." Others nodded again in agreement as Blaine sighed, pressing a thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry, I'll work on it. I'm just gonna go take a break for a bit." David patted him on the back as he left before joining his fellow council members for a much needed discussion. The other Warblers engaged themselves into their own conversations, giving the boys enough privacy as they took a seat at their table.

"We need to fix him," Wes said matter-of-factly. "He's our best soloist and without him, we have absolutely no hope at sectionals."

"What exactly is _wrong_ with him anyway?" Thad asked.

"Boyfriend troubles," David supplied, Thad furrowed his brows.

"Blaine has a boyfriend?"

"Well…no, that's kind of what the 'trouble' is actually," The other two council members looked to him, their faces still a picture of confusion so David sighed and gave a rushed version from the beginning, telling them everything as much as he knew.

"Okay, so Blaine had the hots for one of the new Crawford girls-I know, a girl, weird right?- and he was all confused and worked up about it. Then the girl-her name's Kirsty I think- sets him up with one of her guy friends because his sister told her he was gay or something. So Blaine goes on the date with him, still thinking about Kirsty but then when he got back, this guy Kurt was pretty much _all_ he talked about. And then we did the 'sexy' performance, and Kirsty was there, and Jeff was dancing and flirting with her and I think this might have made Blaine jealous, he was torn between her and this guy Kurt and then _oh my God_ he actually _kissed _Kirsty!" David took a pause, letting the others catch up because even his head was beginning to spin. It seemed an appropriate place to stop because Wes and Thad both sat wide eyed with their mouths hanging open in utter shock.

"Blaine kissed a _girl?_" Wes asked, incredulously. "I can't even get a girl to _talk_ to me and Blaine just goes and kisses one! Blaine? Why didn't you tell us anyway?"

"Because…Blaine asked me not to…" _Oh well, so much for that._ "But yeah, so he kisses Kirsty, she gets pissed and then Blaine was depressed all night saying how stupid he was and how he'd lost _Kurt _because of it. I'm pretty certain he managed to set things straight though, but then suddenly he came back to the dorm Sunday afternoon and he and Kurt had had this huge argument but he wouldn't say what about. He also seemed quite pissed at Kirsty but I don't know why, he wasn't making a lot of sense." Wes and Thad nodded, taking in all of the information.

"So how do you suggest we fix this?" Wes asked, resting his head against his fingers because this was _not_ in the job description of council members. David shrugged in response.

"Well if Catherine knows Kirsty then we should talk to her, she probably knows more than we do anyway," Thad suggested, pulling out his cell phone. "So we talk to Catherine, beg _her _to fix things then we'll have happy Blaine back in no time!" The others shared a weary glance but nodded anyway as Thad began writing a text to send to Catherine. It was worth a shot at least.

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><p>"Blaine?" David said tentatively, knocking despite it being their shared dorm room. He peaked through the opened crack and saw Blaine peering over the calculus book he was reading expectantly. "Hey," he greeted, opening the door all the way and entering the room. "You okay? Warbler's rehearsals seemed pretty rough on you today." He took a seat on his respective bed and began pulling out some of his own homework. Blaine shrugged in response.<p>

"I'll get over it," he said simply and with a significant lack of conviction which made David doubt him all the more.

"So, will you be going to watch your sister perform this weekend?" he asked in what he hoped sounded like an innocent change of subject. Blaine shrugged yet again.

"I don't know, I want to but…Kurt will be there so it's probably not the best idea." David wanted to slam his, or better yet, _Blaine's_ head against a wall because _that was the point._ Catherine had told them that she'd be competing against Kurt's glee club at sectionals and that she'd lock them in a closet together if need be. Apparently the Warbler's weren't the only ones suffering from Blaine's depression.

"You should go," David urged.

"You think so?" Blaine glanced at him skeptically over his text book.

"Yeah! I mean seeing all those other groups perform might at least get you back _into_ it."

"I don't know…" he said slowly.

"Come one! I'll go with you, I wouldn't mind checking out the competition…_and_ some of those Crawford girls again, besides, you don't exactly have to talk to Kurt, he won't even know you're there." Okay, well that was a lie but Blaine didn't have to know that. He gave an uncertain smile which David decided to take as a yes. "Great, we leave at Midday."

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><p>When Kurt left glee rehearsals on Thursday afternoon, he was more than ready to slam his head into a wall. The whole group was in carnage and no one agreed on anything. Rachel was still grieving her lack of a solo and pretty much every one else was arguing for one reason or another. Even personal issues like relationships had made their way into the mess. There was simply no way they were going to win sectionals if they continued as they were and Kurt couldn't help but feel like his whole week at Crawford had been for nothing because of it.<p>

He was hurriedly stepping down the staircase (the same one he remembered Blaine first confronting Karofsky on, though he quickly forced that memory out of his conscience,) when he saw her. Her dark wavy hair bouncing around her shoulders as she spotted Kurt and ran towards him. Kurt's eyes widening in recognition. He considered running for it but found his legs were firmly glued to the ground beneath him.

"Catherine," he breathed.

"So you're the famous Kurt!" she said in a tone that he couldn't decipher, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs. "Kirsty has told me so much about you! Or should I say, _you_ have told me so much about you," she smiled and Kurt couldn't help but smile nervously back in fear for his life. He was certain the rest of the Crawford girls were around somewhere, probably planning a repeat of what Vocal Adrenaline did to Rachel.

Urgh and egg was the _worst_ to get out of his hair. 17 years' worth of Halloweens had taught him that.

"I guess you've gathered by now that Blaine told me what you did," she said in a matter-of-fact tone as Kurt nodded sheepishly. "Why do you look so terrified of me?" she laughed, touching a hand to his arm despite his flinching away. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"You're not?" he finally said dubiously and scanning their surroundings for any girls who may be hiding. She seemed to notice this and squeezed his arm a second time.

"I haven't told the other girls, don't worry," she said, smiling still. Kurt eyed her suspiciously.

"Then why are you talking to me?"

"We're friends…aren't we?" she sounded genuinely a little hurt which confused Kurt even more.

"You should hate me, why don't you hate me?" Kurt demanded frantically, he needed to know what her angle was.

"What you did was…kind of weird I'll admit. But I told you back at Crawford that I'm only really in the club because I love to sing. Honestly, competition doesn't interest me in the slightest, too much drama. The rest of the girls on the other hand would _freak out_ if they knew you were a spy." Kurt blanched, a vivid image of _'improper use of laxatives'_ taking over his mind. "Which is why I haven't told them. As for _Kirsty's_ disappearance…I told them that your dad got a job out of state and moved," she shrugged. "People were starting to get a little confused over the fact that none of them had seen you in any of their classed but I think your secret's safe."

"Thanks," Kurt mumbled, at least everything was wrapped up nicely. "I honestly don't think the spying did us any good though, we're in a worse shape than we were 2 weeks ago."

"Don't worry, we're just as bad. Amy freaked out when I told her you'd left, she actually thought you were really good." There it was, that friendly grin again that reminded him so much of Blaine's it hurt. "May the best club win!" she concluded, her hand outstretched for Kurt to shake. He took it and smiled the first real one he'd had for a while. "Good, now that I've got that out of the way…" she said before trailing off and hitting Kurt very hard with one hand on his upper arm in the same place she was previously squeezing comfortingly and pointing accusingly with the other. "That was for hurting my brother!"

"I thought you weren't mad at me!" Kurt cried incredulously, holding his wounded shoulder protectively.

"I'm not, but you're an idiot, how long did you think you could keep up with a double life?" Kurt noticed she didn't seem particularly spiteful; in fact she almost looked amused.

"I wasn't planning for things to go as far as they did," Kurt said simply as Catherine's eyes narrowed.

"So why did you set the two of you up if you didn't want things to go anywhere?"

"It wasn't even me who set us up." Kurt sighed. "I didn't want any of this. I mean, of course I really like Blaine, I just wish things could be different." The younger girl looked at him carefully, sensing how upset he clearly was.

"He really likes you too," she said softly. "Last week you were all he could talk about, it started to get annoying actually. Now he just texts me about how depressed he is which is definitely way more annoying." Kurt didn't know what to say. What exactly was he supposed to do? "That's why I'm here actually. You may be a complete idiot but Blaine's being such a drama queen right now and I don't think I can take any more. Plus you really did make him happy, as both you and Kirsty. You have to fix this and you have to fix it soon."

"I really don't think that that Blaine wants-"

"I don't care what Blaine wants. _I_ want peace and quiet. Look, I asked him to come and see me perform this Saturday at sectionals, at least _try_ and talk to him." Kurt nodded slowly though his mind was focused on the part where _Blaine was coming to sectionals._

_Blaine was going to see him perform._ Kurt was suddenly eternally grateful that he didn't have a solo because he just _knew_ he'd mess that up with Blaine in the audience. "Well, I'd best go, see you at sectionals! Oh, and good luck!" she said with a smile and a wave as she skipped back to wherever she had come from and Kurt had to shake his head to make sure he hadn't imagined her. He was nervous for sectionals before, now he was absolutely petrified.

But then it hit him, it _really_ hit him. _Blaine was going to be there!_ He'd have a chance to speak to him without seeming desperate. He'd be able to explain himself. Well, explain himself as best he can, because yeah, fact of the matter is, he still lied, but if he could just explain _why, _then maybe he might just be given another chance.

And on top of everything, Catherine seemed to be rooting for them to get back together. She was probably the least person he expected that from but was grateful nonetheless.

Kurt left school that day more determined than ever to win Blaine back.

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><p><strong>Not sure when the next chapter will be but I promise it <em>will<em> be soon! :D**

**Also depressed!Blaine let me love you!**

**Review? :3  
>..<strong>


	15. Chapter 15 part 1

**I intended for this chapter to be the last chapter, 10,000 words later, I decided it may be a good idea to split it up...**  
><strong>I didn't want to upload it as a whole since I wanted all of the chapters to be equally weighted because of reasons. So I've split it into two sections and an epilogue or sorts. This is the first section, I'll probably upload the second section and the epilogue tomorrow once I've proof-read it and stuff.<strong>

**Apologies in advance for the cliffhanger, I couldn't find a better place to cut it! D:**

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><p>"Okay seriously, if these people don't start getting along, I'm going to have to hurt someone," Kurt said viciously as he sat with Mercedes on Friday afternoon, glaring unkindly at the members of New Directions who <em>still<em> were unable to agree on anything.

"Well look who's returned to the world of the living!" Mercedes exclaimed, it was the first time she'd heard him say something that wasn't laced with depression all week. And she was right, Kurt had been in a much more optimistic mood since his chat with Catherine the day before. He'd spent the night revising a thousand different ways he could apologize to Blaine when he saw him at the weekend. "You feeling a little better now, Boo?" she asked, placing an arm around his shoulder.

"I've just decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and to actually try and make things better," he said with a proud smile, Mercedes beamed back at him.

"That's the Kurt I know and love! I just wish I could say the same for the club…"

"Yeah, there's no way you're going to win sectionals like this," he said flatly, gesturing to Santana as she tried to rehearse despite Rachel constantly nit-picking at everything she did.

"You say that as if you're not a part of this group…?" she said worriedly.

"Oh I am," Kurt replied, easing her fears. "But while we're all busy losing sectionals thanks to certain people who need not be named, _I_ will be busy winning back Blaine," he explained positively.

"You really think you can get him back?" his best friend asked.

"Of course!" He sounded confident but on the inside he was wrecked with nerves. Blaine had sounded pretty definite when he had left on Sunday. "He's coming to sectionals to watch his sister, I just have to get him alone and hope he lets me explain so I can pin all the blame on Rachel and pray that he doesn't hate me."

"Sounds like a plan! And if he doesn't then he'll have _me_ to answer to," she said fiercely. Kurt smiled softly, grateful for her support.

"Thanks, but I think it will be best if it's just me and him, if he _still_ doesn't want to know me…well then I guess there's nothing I can do about it. What I did to him was pretty bad so…we'll just have to see." She hugged him tightly, her heart breaking at his dejected tone.

"He'll love you again in no time, no one can stay mad at _you _for long."

"This would be so much easier if had a solo for sectionals. Then he'd just fall in love with my voice and I wouldn't have to apologize with words." He looked over to Mercedes and they both simultaneously burst out laughing because that was probably the most _'Rachel' _thing he had ever said. They eventually ceased when Kurt's chest was hurting from the outburst and some of the others were beginning to give them both strange looks, God he'd forgotten how nice it was just to let things go and laugh with his friends.

"I've missed you," Mercedes said affectionately, leaning into Kurt once more.

"I've missed you too," he replied, resting his head on hers and watching as the New Directions fell to pieces before their eyes.

* * *

><p>It was Saturday morning and Kurt was panicking. He had spent twice as long on his moisturizing than was normal (ignoring how Blaine had said that he was 'high maintenance' the previous week) and only had 10 minutes to style his hair before he had to leave to make it to the bus in time. Finn was already waiting downstairs as Kurt bumbled around his room in his haste and thanked whoever was listening that he didn't have to plan a spectacular outfit for the occasion; all the boys were wearing the same plain burgundy dress shirt with black pants. It was incredibly ordinary compared to the majority of his wardrobe but he really didn't have time to complain.<p>

"Kurt would you hurry up?" Finn called from downstairs as Kurt sent a dirty look in the direction of his voice, despite it going unseen. Finn didn't even know who Blaine was though so he supposed it was understandable that he couldn't recognize the importance of how he had to look absolutely perfect for sectionals that day. He got to work on his hair, after he noted that he then only had 7 minutes and cried out in anguish. He had managed to get it coiffed, though somewhat messily, when Finn was knocking on his door, begging to leave before Rachel murdered him. Reluctantly he picked up his bag and followed Finn to his car, praying he'd have time to finish his hair on the bus.

"You've been acting weird lately," Finn mentioned as he drove the two of them to McKinley. Kurt raised his eyebrows wondering what Finn's definition of 'weird' was exactly and how it applied to him.

"Is that so," he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah I mean…no offense but you've been really grumpy and short-tempered, ever since Rachel sent you to spy on those Crawford girls…" Finn explained hurriedly in the hopes that speaking faster will make Kurt less mad at him. It was unneeded however as Kurt looked to his step-brother affectionately, feeling guilty for having taken his anger out on him.

"I'm sorry Finn," he said in the least bitchy tone he could muster. "I know I've been giving you a hard time, everything is just…completely upside down for me at the moment, but I'm working on fixing it," he said with a smile, Finn briefly took his eyes of the road and glanced at him worriedly.

"I spoke to Rachel…she said something about you 'fraternizing with the enemy'" Kurt rolled his eyes because of course Rachel _would_ tell everyone. "But don't worry," Finn continued, "I won't tell Burt that you're not a virgin anymore…or that you're straight now, but maybe you should at least tell him that part because I think keeping-"

"WHAT?" Kurt exploded because…_what?_ "What are you talking about Finn?"

"Well Crawford's an all girl's school so I assumed it was with-"

"No…just…what?"

"Rachel said you were-"

"That's _not_ what fraternizing means Finn! Oh my God, have you ever even _looked_ at a dictionary?" Kurt could almost _see_ the rusty cogs in Finns brain as they began to figure things out.

"Oh…" he said slowly "So fraternizing doesn't mean sex?" he asked pitifully.

"No," Kurt said sighing and resting his head in his hand as he leaned against his window, hoping to _God_ that stupidity wasn't contagious.

"No wonder I failed that English text," Finn said thoughtfully, still a little confused. "So you're still gay then?" he asked, just to double check.

"Still gay, Finn." They sat in silence once more, the only sounds were of traffic and the gentle hum of the engine. Kurt closed his eyes as he leaned against the passenger window, going over the many things he had planned to say to Blaine.

"Hey Kurt?" Finn said, breaking the blissful silence that Kurt was relishing in. He tiredly opened his eyes once again to glare at his dopey, yet somehow loveable, stepbrother.

"What?"

"What does fraternizing mean?" Kurt would have happily strangled him right then and there if it didn't mean they'd both meet their fiery deaths as they crashed into a tree.

"Just…like…making friends with someone," he attempted to explain irritably, not caring that not 10 minutes before he had just apologized for being so snappy.

"Oh, so you just made friends with one of the girls?" Finn asked, seemingly glad the silence had been broken. Finn was one of those people who couldn't stand silences, not awkward silences, not pleasantly comfortable silences, not even when he was alone. He'd always attempt to fill the air whether it be by talking to himself, playing music or, particularly when in the shower, singing. Loudly.

Kurt on the other hand was clearly the polar opposite of this.

"Is she cute?" Finn persisted, earning himself yet another glare from Kurt. Despite him being in a relationship with Rachel, these things were important to know!

"Not that I care, but I think Rachel was probably referring to _Blaine_…One of the girls' brother." Kurt explained with a wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter though, he hates me now."

"Why?" Finn asked and Kurt sighed, _will he ever learn when to just stop talking?_

"_Because_ he found out I was spying and…stuff," Kurt said. Finn kept glancing over at him from the road, he seemed to be genuinely interested in what Kurt was saying, rather than just using it to fill a silence. "I'm going to make it up to him though, he's coming to sectionals and I have prepared a _killer_ apology." Kurt said, noting Finn's interest in the matter.

"So do you…like him? Like…_like_ like him?" Kurt just smiled, ignoring Finn's over usage of the word 'like' because he honestly _never_ thought he'd have this sort of conversation with Finn of all people. But there they were, step-brothers and talking about relationships, a lot had changed in a year. He nodded in reply.

"Yeah," he said with a bashful smile. "I do."

Finn turned into the school parking lot to find the bus they would be taking next to their group of somewhat depressed looking friends. They joined the others whilst Mr Schue was talking to Miss Pilsbury about something and they all took their seats on the bus. Finn and Kurt separated, Kurt taking the seat next to Mercedes whilst Finn went to sit with the guys. Mr Schue soon joined them on the bus with a downcast expression and with that they left.

That was when Kurt's heart began pounding against his chest, he'd never been this nervous prior to a competition before and this time wasn't even because of show choir at all. He took out his bottle of hairspray and a small mirror and began trying to finish styling his hair with shaky hands.

"You okay, Kurt?" Mercedes asked worriedly from beside him. Kurt gave a jittery nod in response, hoping to convince his friend and himself at the same time. Needless to say it didn't work. Mercedes sensed this and pulled him in for a tight hug, despite his obvious protests about the state of his hair. "Don't worry, you'll get him back, just pin all of the blame on Rachel because _it's the truth!_" she attempted to encourage him defiantly. Kurt shook his head as he tried to restyle his hair for the hundredth time. Despite what he had said the day before he knew blaming Rachel would not get him anywhere.

"I can't blame _all_ of this on Rachel…though it would be nice. No, I have to be straight with him, if I want a chance at having a _normal_ relationship with Blaine then I have to lay it all on the line, I'm tired of the lies and he is too. I just…really want to do this right for once."

"It sucks that you two got off on such a bad start. I mean, I've never even met the guy in person but I honestly don't think I've ever seen you as happy as you were when you met him," she gave his shoulders an encouraging squeeze. "He must be a pretty great guy, but if he thinks he's gonna steal you away from me then he's so got another thing coming!" she said warningly. Kurt gave a short laugh, one of the few that he'd had the pleasure of as of late. It felt nice. His friends really were good to him but with Blaine it was just…different.

"Oh God I'm so nervous," he said as he tossed the empty can back into his bag and pulled out a new one, setting to work on his not-quite-perfect-yet hair.

"Clearly," Mercedes said in amusement

"I mean what if he's still mad at me? He probably is; he has no reason to suddenly forgive me," he said in a panicked flourish.

"Hey, he'll get over it, Kurt. I mean there are a _lot_ worse things that you could do to someone. I really don't think what you did was that bad. In a month, you'll both look back on this and laugh," she assured him.

"Thank you," he said. He wasn't sure if he totally believed what Mercedes had said but it was comforting all the same. The two shared a brief smile before Kurt returned to his hair.

"Hey Hummel, will you quit it with the hairspray, you're gonna give me lung cancer or something," Puck called from the seat behind. Kurt rolled his eyes despite it going unseen.

"Hairspray won't give you lung cancer Puckerman, maybe asthma…with any luck," he replied swiftly.

"Whatever, I can't _breathe_ back here," he said adamantly, though Kurt promptly ignored him.

* * *

><p>"Come <em>on<em> David! Blaine! we've got to go!" Thad said, pounding on the thick wood of the dorm room door. "What's taking you two so long? Hurry up!" he begged. Blaine opened the door, gaining relief from the incessant knocking.

"_I'm _ready," he said adamantly. "It's David."

"No you are _not!_" David said, pulling Blaine back into the room by the back of his collar, choking him slightly. Thad and Wes shared a weary glance before following them into the room. "This tie," David said, holding a black tie with a white trim up to Blaine's seemingly completed outfit. He was wearing a dark grey shirt and with black dress pants and already had a plain black tie on.

"I don't know why you're making me get so dressed up, it's just sectionals and we're not even competing," Blaine argued, tugging his tie off and snatching the one David had selected, tying it around his neck impatiently. David examined the look, his thumb and forefinger pressed against his chin thoughtfully.

"No, that's not right either…" he said dejectedly, rummaging through the pile of ties that were laid out on the bed as Blaine let out a long, heavy sigh.

"He's been doing this all morning," Blaine said to Thad and Wes who stood looking somewhat concerned for their friend. "Every single thing I am wearing right now was hand selected by David…Even my underwear. Seriously I don't-"

"Perfect!" David interrupted, pulling a burgundy tie from the pile. "This one!" He began pulling off the black and white tie to replace it with the newly found red. "It really brings out your eyes."

Thad merely rolled his eyes as David grabbed his phone and ushered everyone out.

"What _was_ that?" Wes hissed when they were on their way to the parking lot, they slacked a little so Thad and Blaine were ahead of them. "I thought we were going to get there early so we could get Blaine to talk to Kurt before he performs."

"Yeah, well Blaine told me that Kurt is a bit of a 'fashionista'," he gestured the word using finger quotes and a ridiculous accent. "So I thought if I dressed him up a little it might make things go more smoothly," he shrugged.

"I have underestimated you David, good thinking," Wes said thoughtfully, clapping his friend on the back as they made their way to the carpool.

* * *

><p>"No! Not the…I said they're called the <em>New. Directions. <em>Say it slowly," Mr Schue was saying to one of the competition officials as the group wandered the building, having nothing better to do until the show started.

"Is he here?" Mercedes asked excitedly "Can you see him anywhere?" Kurt shook his head in reply, searching the crowds for dark curly hair and a goofy grin. He was determined to find him as soon as possible before he had time to back out. "Well we gotta find him, I can't wait to meet him!"

"Excuse me, Mercedes, but _you_ are not going to be talking to him," he huffed, he'd already told her this a hundred times. She winked at him in reply, linking their arms together, both in search of any signs of Blaine.

They wandered around the whole of the waiting lobby still without any sight of Blaine. With only 20 minutes left until the first group went on, Kurt was beginning to feel anxious.

"You know, this idea is stupid anyway, I mean, I barely know what I want to say to him and he's probably still mad at me and-" he said in a hurried waterfall of words before Mercedes interrupted him.

"Kurt _calm down_. Everything will be fine, ok?" Kurt stared onwards, his eyes glazing and his expression downcast. That was until he spotted some extremely familiar faces, turning his pessimistic expression into one of pure panic.

"Oh my God, hide me," he whispered as Mercedes followed his gaze to find the group of girl's their age, dressed in a very familiar uniform.

"Why? They're not going to recognize you!" Mercedes assured pushing Kurt towards them.

"But what if they do? _Mercedes whatareyoudoing?" _he exclaimed in shock as he tried in vain to redirect them in a different direction _away_ from the Crawford girls.

"You're going to ask Catherine if Blaine is here yet. She's the one who told you he was coming in the first place," she told him patiently, still dragging him over to the girls however he was still reluctant. Kurt had eventually told Mercedes about Catherine's visit and how she was to be trusted despite her being a Crawford girl.

"No, no, no, they're going to recognize me!" he whined though it fell on deaf ears.

"Kurt!" a joyful voice called his name from afar and Kurt felt his blood freeze in his veins. There was no use fighting Mercedes as Catherine had already spotted him. The rest of the girls had looked over after Catherine had called him and she came half-skipping, half-jogging towards him, two of the other girls following behind shortly afterwards. Kurt noticed that Amy was nowhere to be seen.

"Cat, what are you doing?" one of the girls, Patricia, Kurt remembered, chided Catherine. "He's the opposition," she sneered, not even bothering to hide her obvious feelings of distaste. Rosemary was there as well and Kurt couldn't shake off the feeling that she was staring at him.

"Relax," Catherine answered Patricia's scold. "He's my friend." With that Kurt's heart sunk, even after everything that he had done, she still considered him her friend? She smiled brightly towards him and he could only feel terrible in return.

"What's your name?" Rosemary suddenly asked. Kurt's eyes widened, it was the first time she had spoken to him directly.

"Kurt Hummel..." he replied with a great amount of effort focused on making his voice not waver. Rosemary gave him a look that was a mix between extreme concentration and bewilderment.

"You look so familiar," she stated unsure whether this should be good news or not.

"Yeah now that you mention it…" Patricia agreed, squinting her eyes and tilting her head slightly as if this would somehow give her a better look at him. Kurt looked to Catherine with a pleading look which she seemed to understand as she shooed the girls away.

"I need to talk to Kurt alone about something!" she explained and with disapproving looks, Patricia and Rosemary left them. Mercedes nudged Kurt, as if reminding him that she was in fact still present.

"Uhh, Catherine, this is my best friend, Mercedes," he said, gesturing to the girl beside him. Catherine looked hesitant but they shook hands politely.

"Don't worry," Mercedes assured, "I was against the whole 'spying on your club' thing from the beginning," she said and the other girl seemed to relax a little.

"Is Blaine around?" Kurt asked tentatively, cutting straight to the chase.

"I haven't seen him yet, but he should be on his way with some of the guys from Dalton," she said, apologetic that she couldn't be of more help.

"Oh," Kurt replied in a small voice, because if Blaine was there with his friends, it would be much more difficult to speak to him privately.

"Don't worry, he's definitely coming! Oh! I have to go, good luck today!" she said as Amy returned from wherever she had previously gone and literally dragged Catherine away.

"You too!" Kurt called after her, he'd realized that he hadn't said it back to her when they had spoken on the stairs at McKinley and felt a little guilty about it. She smiled in response before focusing all of her attention to Amy who seemed to be angry, though this was nothing new.

"This is hopeless," Kurt said dejectedly as he scanned the room for Blaine. More and more people were crowding in and it was next to impossible to see anyone further than 5 feet away. "He's probably here and avoiding me."

"Don't say that," Mercedes begun but was cut off by an overhead announcer declaring that the show would begin shortly and if everyone would like to take their seats. "We should get back to the others, we'll find him in the interval," she said optimistically though Kurt failed to see it as so. He followed her regardless as they made their way back to the group.

"Wait!" Kurt suddenly halted, gripping Mercedes' arm tightly. He'd seen it. The dark curly hair, less tame than when he was dressed for school yet still held in place by a moderate amount of gel. It was Blaine. Definitely Blaine. "He's over the-"

"Hey Kurt," Mr Schue called "Mercedes, come on!" And suddenly he was being dragged away. He trained his eyes upon Blaine, trying not to lose him in the sea of people but it was inevitable that he would drown and Blaine would be nowhere to be found once again. He was ushered into the huge auditorium, still on the lookout for any sign of Blaine. His heart would leap to his throat every time he'd catch a glimpse of dark hair but every time he thought he'd located the boy again, he'd disappear just as swiftly.

He took his seat with a huff after double checking the audience for the boy he lost. Someone on stage was talking about something that was really not relevant whilst Kurt sulked. He glared at the carpeted floor, suddenly entirely disinterested in sectionals when Mercedes was urgently tapping at his shoulder.

"What?" he hissed, giving her an unnecessarily harsh glare. She said nothing and simply pointed to her left her eyes glinting with exasperation. He followed the direction she was pointing in, his eyes immediately falling on the very boy he was searching for. Blaine sat on the very same row, just a few seats down from him, directly next to Puck, though neither knew who the other was. Kurt also recognized the three other boys with him as some of the warblers.

Immediately he shot back to flatten himself against the upholstery of the auditorium seat, suddenly terrified. Was it normal to be completely terrified of a boy you're head over heels about?

Kurt decided that yes, yes it was and thus continued to make himself as scarce as possible.

Blaine didn't seem to notice him and Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. He made a point to speak to him later, yeah, later was good. The woman on stage finally finished and on came the first group; _The Hipsters, _however Kurt wouldn't have been able to pay attention to their performance even if he wanted to. All he could focus on was the fact that Blaine was so near and how everything he had planned on saying to him had made a swift exit from his mind.

Mercedes glanced at him contentedly as the elderly glee clubbers sang heartily.

"No disrespect to them or anything but we have totally got _at least_ second place in the bag." Kurt probably wouldn't have heard her if not for the elbow in the ribs she had given him, he glared at her whilst rubbing his tender rib. "Just saying," she said and Kurt found that he had entirely lost interest in the competition. All he had to do was sway at the back, sing backup and smile, hardly a show stopping role in the club.

He wanted a solo, he wanted to be in the spotlight, he wanted to be a star, but that wasn't going to happen whilst in the New Directions though not for lack of trying. He also wanted Blaine. Blaine made had him feel like a superstar, he made him feel special. Most of all, he made him feel _wanted_ and he wasn't quite ready to give that up.

Throughout The Hipsters' performance, Kurt continued to steal glances across at Blaine, which would have been much easier if Puck's head didn't insist on being in the way. He managed to catch a few glimpses of his smile, that eternally amused and pleased-at-everything smile. It wasn't as full as the last time he had seen it but it was certainly still there.

After their last song, The Hipsters were ushered off of the stage, some with considerably more help than others, and someone else had stepped up to the stage for a few words. Kurt wasn't sure if he should be grateful or impatient for the delay. His leg bounced nervously and more than once, Mercedes had to clamp her hand on his knee to still him though it never calmed him for more than a second.

Eventually (or all too soon, Kurt still hadn't decided) the man stepped down from the stage and the curtains went down for the first interval. The Crawford Cantata were up next and Kurt noticed the girls hurriedly making their exit to the green room. He returned his gaze to his left and saw Blaine and his friends getting to their feet. His heart beat furiously, as if it was trying to physically drag him to Blaine. This was his chance.

But he couldn't.

He watched helplessly as Blaine made his exit.

"What are you _doing?_" she demanded, "He's getting away again!"

"I can't," he said simply in a quavering voice. "I can't do it. I can't talk to him."

"Oh for the love of-" she exclaimed before storming off in the direction Blaine had just left in. Kurt's eyes widened in horror as he realized where she was going.

"No. WAIT. _MERCEDES!" _He called after her though she refused to stop. She was on a mission.

* * *

><p><strong>..<strong>


	16. Chapter 15 part 2

Blaine was laughing at a joke David had told. It was nowhere near his usual genuine laugh, he hadn't even heard most of the joke, but laughing just for the sake of it made him feel somewhat better. They'd just finished watching The Hipsters perform, they were great and Blaine applauded the fact that even at their age they never gave up and continued to perform. He honestly found their determination inspiring. But that was just Blaine.

The group of boys stood in the lobby waiting for the next group, Blaine's sister's group, to perform. The continuous speeches on stage and the unnecessary amount of intervals was really just a way to make the show last longer.

"Have you seen him anywhere?" Thad whispered to David whilst Wes occupied Blaine in a conversation about the show.

"I don't even know what the guy looks like!" David hissed back though that didn't stop him scanning the crowds for anyone who looked like they might be a Kurt.

"We _have_ to cheer Blaine up somehow. He's so depressed he even found that group of old folks entertaining," Thad said dejectedly, looking over to his friend at a loss.

"No…I think that's just Blaine, he's impressed by anything," David commented "But yeah, he still hasn't been himself at all."

A sudden tapping on his shoulder alerted David to the presence of the large, fierce looking girl with a face that screamed _'I'm on a mission, don't you _dare_ stand in my way'_

"Can I help you?" he asked uncertainly.

"You're here with Blaine right?" she stated, rather than asked, nodding her head in the direction of Blaine. The two nodded in unison, an inexplicable sense of fear and dread creeping through their veins due to the bold girl before them.

"Good. My boy Kurt needs to talk to him and he needs to talk to him alone, so if you boys wouldn't mind coming with me to give them a little privacy…" David and Thad shared a knowing glance.

"Wes!" Thad called. Once he'd gotten the other boy's attention, he gestured for him to join them with a jerk of his head. Blaine followed behind, looking confused.

"Mercedes!_ What_ are you…?" a brown haired boy breathed, huffing in exertion as he had clearly just chased after her through the lobby and pausing when he noticed their company.

"And that is our cue to leave! See you Blaine!" Thad said in a far too optimistic tone, grabbing Wes and David and making a hasty departure, Mercedes following not far behind.

"…What?" Blaine asked in confusion, eyebrows knotting as he watched his friends abandon him. That was when he first spotted Kurt standing before him, looking paralyzed.

"Hi…" Kurt said in a small, breathy voice, eyes looking everywhere but at Blaine face. He took in the dark shirt he was wearing, impressed that he would wear a tie to such an event. A burgundy tie which matched his own shirt so well he cursed himself for thinking it, for thinking that he and Blaine fit together as easily as a perfectly coordinated outfit.

Blaine's chest froze, he'd tried everything, though unsuccessfully, to try and get Kurt out of his mind all week and then suddenly there he was, standing right before him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded in a much harsher tone than he intended. There was a slight pause then,

"I…I'm performing, remember?"

"I meant what are you doing here talking to _me_?" Blaine scowled and yeah, that time he did intend to be harsh. The Warblers had been on his back all week about his performance, he just wanted to get over Kurt and make things go back to normal. He _needed_ to forget about him, but when Kurt finally met his gaze with an expression of utter hurt, one that he'd seen plenty of times before but for the first time had actually caused, he regretted saying what he did.

* * *

><p>"Do you really think just shoving them together is going to make them fix things?" Wes asked Mercedes as the four gathered together, trying to get the best view of Kurt and Blaine.<p>

"We can only hope," she replied "But I have had it up to here with his moping, I just _need_ him to have something good in his life for once."

"Tell me about it!" David said, rolling his eyes. "I mean Blaine usually keeps himself relatively together, but sharing a dorm with him is torture. That guy just has way too many pent up feelings."

"We need him to able to perform for our own sectionals competition next week," Wes supplied, earning him some questionable looks from the others. "And…you know, his feelings that matter and everything," he said, shifting himself slightly to get a better view.

"This would be so much simpler if we actually knew what was _wrong_ between them anyway," Thad said, sighing.

"You mean you don't know…?" Mercedes asked slowly as the boys looked at her in bewilderment.

"You _do_ know?" Thad exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Kurt felt his heart clench as any ounce of hope he had left of winning Blaine back was shattered into a thousand pieces and scattered throughout the overly crowded lobby.<p>

"I'm sorry," Kurt said in a small voice. "I shouldn't have lied to you. But…there isn't exactly a perfect moment when you can admit to something like that," he attempted a laugh but it came out as a sort of strangled choke. Blaine said nothing though Kurt considered it a victory that he hadn't left yet. "I don't want you out of my life, this past week has been so much harder knowing what…what things _could_ be like, knowing what it was like to be…normal." He sighed, steadying his breathe, willing Blaine to say something, _anything_. "I just…what we, I mean…this is."

Kurt found himself floundering; he had no idea what he was doing, what he was saying. The hours he'd spent the night before going over what he would say was clearly a waste of time. Instead of making coherent speech, he just resorted to opening and closing his mouth at a loss.

The obnoxious overhead announcer declared that the next part of the show would begin shortly and Kurt cursed his lack of ability to talk.

"I have to go," Blaine said quietly, making his way back over to his friends. Kurt hung his head in defeat.

Shortly after Blaine left, Mercedes caught up to him and put an arm over his shoulder. Just from the look on his face she could tell that things hadn't gone well.

"Hey, it's okay," she said softly. "What…what did you say?" So Kurt retold the very brief encounter they had had not moments ago.

"He hates me," he finished a look of pure defeat painted across his face which Mercedes wanted nothing more than to erase.

"Come on, he didn't say that…" she tried to encourage him

"Mercedes, please…I'm sick of the false hope and the 'what-ifs' let's just leave it," he sighed and Mercedes simply held him tighter.

"Guys Mr Schue wants a group meeting in the green room, wants to talk to us about 'being a team' or something," Rachel said in a monotone, suddenly appearing beside them.

"You go ahead," Kurt said, sniffling slightly. "I think I'm going to watch the Crawford girls perform." Both Mercedes and Rachel raised their brows in shock. "What?" he asked innocently. "The majority of them may have been awful to me but I like to think of Catherine as my friend at least." And with that he made his way to the auditorium where yet another guest was making a speech on stage. Mercedes and Rachel shared a weary look but decided to let him go.

Kurt decided to watch from the door, he couldn't go back to his seat, Blaine would be too close and with the rest of the New Directions in the green room thus not occupying the seats, he would be sure to see him. He glanced at the row of empty seats for a split second, determined not to look at Blaine, before entirely dedicating his concentration to the stage.

* * *

><p>"You're a dumbass," David stated as Blaine met up with them again just as he was about to berate them for leaving him like that as and they made their way back into the auditorium. Blaine sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.<p>

"What did I do now?" he asked in an irritated voice, clearly not in the mood.

"All that whining you did? '_Oh I love Kirsty, no I'm in love with Kurt I'm so confused someone help me!'_" David mocked Blaine's voice, though it sounded nothing like him in the slightest, Blaine just scowled in response. "So Kurt _is_ Kirsty and you just push him away completely? In what world does that make sense? Sounds to me like a win/win situation here!" Blaine glared at him awkwardly, unsure whether he should be angry or just confused.

"How do you even know that?" he asked. He'd refrained from telling David the whole story because in all honesty he found the whole thing a little mortifying. He'd only told his sister to warn her about Kurt being a spy.

"That doesn't matter," Wes said, waving away Blaine's question like it was nothing. "What matters is that you go and make up with Kurt, accept his apology and go back to being Happy Blaine again!"

"Yeah!" Thad agreed "We miss Happy Blaine!"

"Guys, it's not that simple…" He paused "have you really noticed my mood that much?" he asked a little nervously as they took their seats.

"Blaine, Warblers rehearsal this past week has pretty much been a huge spiralling pit of angst because of you. You're our lead singer and we _need _you. Not only to win sectionals but to inspire the rest of the group and encourage them to be the best they can. We elected you to lead because of your optimistic charm and…we just want the old you back," Wes begged softly and Blaine was a little touched.

"I…I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean for this to affect you at all, I'll try and keep things to myself," he said, smiling sadly, lowering his voice as someone on stage had begun talking.

"No," David said affectionately. "We don't want you to bottle everything up, we're your friends and we want to help."

"So we're telling you in the friendliest way possible, that you are currently being a dumbass." Thad grinned, punching Blaine playfully on the arm. Blaine was speechless. He knew his friends cared for him but he'd never actually realized that they really were there for him. He'd spent so long isolated from his peers at his old school that he'd started to think that a friend _just_ meant someone who wouldn't judge and ridicule him, someone who wouldn't beat him up for simply being himself. He was wrong of course.

"Thad's right," David said, interrupting his train of thought. "You need to talk to Kurt."

"Like I said, it's not that simple," Blaine said sadly as a woman on stage droned on about some sort of charity though he was only half paying attention. "Besides, there's nothing I can do about it at the moment," he deflected, nodding towards the stage despite the sturdy looks he earned from his friends however they dropped it and sat back in their seats. The sound of the back door to the auditorium closing loudly alerted his attention and he instinctively turned his head to the back of the hall to find the source of the noise. There, at the door, stood Kurt looking morosely towards the stage. Blaine trained his eyes on him for several seconds before breaking the contact and focusing back to the stage, releasing a breath he was unaware of holding.

He didn't notice how good the lighting made his skin look and he definitely didn't wonder how he could look so sad yet so beautiful at the same time.

He cleared his throat in the hopes that the action may also clear his head, though, needless to say, it was unsuccessful.

All of the harsh and hurtful things he had said both in Kurt's room and moments ago in the lobby reiterated themselves in his mind. The words were shouted back at him, screamed to be noticed. Blaine shook his head, he shouldn't feel so guilty, he was the one who was wronged…right?

The woman on stage wrapped up her speech and introduced his sister's group.

"I'll be right back," he whispered, rising to his feet as the curtain began to rise.

"Wait, what about Catherine?" Wes asked

"Don't worry, I'll still be listening." He winked and with that he was off, hurriedly sprinting down the stalls.

* * *

><p>Kurt smiled as he recognized the tune as <em>Everybody<em> by _Ingrid Michaelson_. It was the same song they had rehearsed (and over-rehearsed) all week when Kurt was with them. He swayed softly and tapped his foot, mapping out the choreography he had branded into his brain perfectly as they did it. Patricia stepped to the front as she was singing lead and Kurt mouthed the lyrics softly.

_We have fallen down again tonight_  
><em>In this world it's hard to get it right<em>  
><em>Try to make your heart feel like a glove<em>  
><em>What it needs is love, love, love<em>

"You seem to know what you're doing," A voice so soft that Kurt would have been sure he imagined it if he didn't see the owner appear beside his side at the very same instant. His mouth hung open at a loss for words, unsure whether the other boy was there to mock him or not.

"Blaine…" Kurt whispered since it was the only coherent thing that was left in his head

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down, "I should have given you a chance to explain yourself and accepted your apology instead of just getting angry," Kurt let out a shaky breath in reply, closing his mouth slowly only to reopen it again. "What's with the fish impression?" Blaine laughed softly though it was clear he was just as nervous.

"I'm just…confused," Kurt admitted, knitting his eyebrows together hesitantly.

"Why is it we never seem to be able to do this right?" Blaine asked earnestly. The sound of the girls singing made it difficult to hear, giving Kurt a reason to stand closer to Blaine.

_Everybody, everybody wants to love_  
><em>Everybody, everybody wants to be loved<em>  
><em>Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh<em>

"There just always seems to be something in the way and it…started to feel like we weren't supposed to be together for a reason," he sighed, looking over at Kurt with those sad eyes that just mad him melt. Kurt couldn't hold the gaze for long for fear of his legs giving out.

"Don't tell me you believe in fate?" he asked, trying to sound amused though just coming across as frightened. Blaine still smiled however which gave him a little confidence.

_Everybody, everybody wants to love_  
><em>Everybody, everybody wants to be loved<em>  
><em>Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh<em>

"Maybe," he said grinning, "Maybe it was fate that we were sitting in the same row earlier, maybe our outfit coordination was decided by some almighty being," he smiled, gesturing towards his own tie and Kurt's shirt and Kurt couldn't stop the huge, bashful grin erupting on his lips because _he noticed that too?_ "Or maybe it was just my friends meddling, I honestly have no idea," Kurt actually felt himself chuckle out loud as his smile remained a seemingly permanent addition to his face. "I just…felt like it was too hard, like…being in a relationship shouldn't _be_ this difficult, you know?" Blaine said, instantly grounding them back to reality.

"Maybe we just needed to get all of the bad stuff out of the way first?" Kurt suggested and Blaine seemed to consider this before beaming back at him.

_Happy is the heart that still feels pain_  
><em>Darkness drains and light will come again<em>  
><em>Swing open up your chest and let it in<em>  
><em>Just let the love, love, love begin<em>

"So it's clean sailing from here on?" Blaine asked hopefully. Kurt tore his gaze away from the stage to look at him, his breathing completely halted. _Blaine wanted to…he was still interested?_

"You…if you still…want to…I mean," Kurt stumbled brokenly, eyes wide with hope that he wouldn't have dared let himself feel moments ago. A warm grip suddenly enveloped his hand, tentative fingers slipping in between his own trembling ones.

_oh everybody knows the love_  
><em>Everybody holds the love<em>  
><em>Everybody falls for love<em>

_Everybody feels the love_  
><em>Everybody steals the love,<em>  
><em>everybody heals with love<em>  
><em>Oh, oh, oh, oh, just let the love, love, love begin<em>

"I still want to," Blaine whispered warmly as he shuffled closer, hands still interlinked. Kurt didn't trust himself to speak so instead focused his eyes on their tangled fingers, the corners of his mouth reaching his eyes for the first time in a while. "I'm so sorry," Blaine whispered again in Kurt's ear and Kurt couldn't help but register how close they were.

"Stop apologizing!" Kurt laughed softly, sniffing slightly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I was awful to you, I shouldn't have lied to you and gotten angry at you for stupid things that were my fault anyway," he said shamefully. The chorus of the girls continued yet both had ceased paying attention to the music.

"I shouldn't have abandoned you," Blaine argued simply "Not with…everything you've been going through."

Kurt's entire body went stiff, his hand significantly tightening its hold on Blaine's, _why did he have to bring _that_ up now?_ "Kurt, are you okay?" Blaine asked, noticing the change, brows furrowing in concern as he searched the other's face, finding only anguish and a very evident trace of fear. "Has Karofsky hurt you again? Kurt?"

"It's nothing," Kurt eventually replied, avoiding meeting Blaine's searching gaze, because there he was, lying again.

"Kurt please…" Blaine begged softly, squeezing his hand back for comfort. Kurt sighed, squeezing his eyes tight to stop the tears from gathering, he _really_ didn't want to cry now, not when everything had been going so perfectly. The girls finished their song and broke into the next, filling the silence between them with inappropriately happy music. After a while, Kurt finally spoke.

"He…He said if I told anyone, he would….He'd kill me," he said, barely above a whisper, he felt Blaine's hand tense around his own.

"Oh my God…do you think he's actually serious?" Blaine asked incredulously.

"I don't know, and I _really_ don't feel like testing him."

"Kurt…if you'd just called me and told me, I'd have been right there for you in a second." Kurt didn't know whether to believe this or not, but it was a nice thought.

"I don't…really want to talk about it right now," he admitted shyly. Blaine said nothing, instead he nodded gently before pulling Kurt into a protective embrace. At first Kurt tensed before he realized what was happening and felt himself melt to fit perfectly into Blaine's mould. They stood, breathing in the scent of each other and relishing in the intimacy of everything.

"I've missed you," Blaine admitted.

"Me too."

"And I'm sorry." Kurt wrapped his own arms around Blaine, completing the embrace, nuzzling into Blaine's neck slightly because _he'd missed this so much_.

"Me too." He felt Blaine pull back, worried that he'd said something wrong a brief spell of panic rushed through him but the look on Blaine's face cleared any and all doubts he had in an instant. He was smiling softly, lips parted just a fraction. The look in his eyes was so intense Kurt couldn't hold it for longer than a second and instead focused his eyes lower, to his lips. Blaine's lips that were moving closer and…oh. He closed his eyes in anticipation, feeling the warm breath of the other boy against his mouth until the soft brush of his lips against his own. It went no further than that as suddenly the door right beside them crashed open, causing them both to jump. There stood Rachel, looking slightly irritated.

"Kurt, there you are, come on, we're on in like two minutes," she demanded, not even taking notice of Blaine or the tender moment she had just interrupted. If looks could kill, then Rachel Berry would certainly be a corpse by now as the glare that Kurt threw her way was enough to take down an elephant. He looked to Blaine apologetically.

"Go," he said encouragingly, gently pushing Kurt towards the door. "And good luck!" he said smiling.

"Thanks," Kurt breathed before allowing Rachel to drag him away as Blaine made his way back to his seat to catch the last song performed by The Crawford Cantata.

"Mingling with the enemy again I see," Rachel said accusingly as she hurried them back to the green room.

"Oh give it a rest Rachel, he's not the enemy," he sighed.

"We could very well be performing against The Warblers at Regionals if we both win Sectionals," she explained impatiently however Kurt couldn't find it in himself to be angry because Blaine wasn't mad at him. Blaine wanted him. Blaine _almost_ kissed him.

They met up with the rest of The New Directions in the green room and the moment Mercedes saw him, she threw her arms around him.

"You've got _that_ smile," she said, leaning back to face him. "The same smile you had when you first met a certain someone." Kurt grinned at her surreptitiously, raising his eyebrows slightly and producing a squeal from the girl as she wrapped her arms around him once more. "Aaaahh! I can't believe it! I'm so happy for you Boo!" Kurt laughed in response as she squeezed all of the air out of him, he wouldn't have believed it himself if hadn't been there. "Now that you've won back your man, it's time for us to win this competition!" she exclaimed happily and Kurt wondered where she'd gotten such a burst of confidence from. It was then that he realized the rest of New Directions didn't look like they were being sent to their deaths either; they actually looked optimistic, positive.

_That must have been one hell of a pep talk_ he thought to himself as they exited the green room to make their way to the stage, Sam and Quinn going in the opposite direction to make their entrance at the back of the hall. Backstage, Kurt saw the Crawford girls exiting the stage animatedly, jumping and clapping each other confidently. The fear he had always felt around them had entirely dissipated, they may be brutal during rehearsals and may not all like each other but they all wanted the same thing and seeing them so excited after performing made Kurt realize this. These weren't the same girls who had brutally sabotaged their opposition two years ago and it was unfair to judge them just for going to the same school.

"Hey!" he greeted cheerfully as he jogged over to Catherine. "You were great," he said earnestly.

"Kurt! You were watching?" she exclaimed, hugging him briefly.

"Of course! I always support my friends," he said, hugging her back. "And thank you," he said as they broke apart, "for being so nice to me and…helping me with Blaine despite what I what I did to you and your club." He could see her eyes light up at the mention of Blaine.

"So you talked to him?" she asked eagerly, Kurt nodded in response.

"Yeah," he said, "we talked things out."

"Kurt! Get your ass over here!" he heard Santana holler.

"I've gotta go," he sighed.

"Break a leg!" she said smiling and Kurt couldn't help but return it.

"Thanks!" He waved before making his way back to his own group. They made their formation and for the first time Kurt actually felt nervous for the competition. He'd spent all of the previous week fretting about Blaine that he completely neglected the main reason for his being there that day. He went over his parts hastily in his mind, he didn't have an awful lot to remember, it wasn't like he was the lead. But still, Blaine was out there, he'd be watching and would probably be focused mainly on him…

He heard Sam start with _the time of my life_ and had to physically remind himself how to breathe. As soon as they got to the front of the auditorium, the curtain would rise.

* * *

><p>"You're happy," David commented as Blaine took his seat back with his friends. He said nothing and directed his unwavering smile towards the stage as his sister's performance was coming to a close.<p>

"I think I can say mission accomplished boys," Wes said and held both hands out for Thad and David on either side of him to high five.

"Shut up!" Blaine said with a laugh, he really owed everything to his friends but he'd never admit that to them.

Blaine kept his eyes trained on the stage as The New Directions were introduced, he'd never seen Kurt perform and had suddenly found himself eager to do so. It came as a slight shock when he heard a male start singing from the back of the hall, he turned his head, along with most of the audience to find a blond boy singing the first lines of _the time of my life_. A girl, equally as blonde, joined him shortly after, entering from the other door. They sang to each other across the audience from the two aisles and Blaine smiled, he was a sucker for romantic duets. They made it to the stage just as the huge red velvet curtain was raised and Blaine immediately scanned the group for Kurt. It didn't take long to spot him, dancing and singing backup, he looked happy on stage, all of the worry and fear he'd seen on him turned completely invisible when he was performing. It was nothing short of astonishing.

"Blaine's in love!" David said in a sing-song voice, poking his friend's cheek playfully. Blaine slapped his hand away and attempted a glare but the permanent grin on his face made the gesture somewhat ineffective.

"You're never going to leave me alone, are you?" he asked in a resigned voice.

"Nope!"

"Never!"

"Not a chance," came a unanimous chorus from David, Wes and Thad respectively.

"I love you guys," Blaine admitted, refocusing his attention back to the stage where…woah…okay Kurt was shimmying.

They finished _Time of my life_ and went straight into _Valerie_. Blaine smiled and nodded his head to the beat, though he was a little disappointed that Kurt was apparently not singing solo. Hearing his voice was definitely prioritized, highlighted and underlined on his mental to-do-list,

The performance was spectacular and Blaine had to keep reminding himself that he was there to cheer on his sister. The two dancers were both comical and very technical, doing flips and spins that the warblers, though quite experienced, would not be able to pull off. Blaine simply couldn't keep the grin off of his face throughout the performance, they really were good.

Eventually, their set list came to a close and Blaine was the first on his feet for a standing ovation.

* * *

><p><strong>sdjkfhosjalfhdjkglhkds so close to the end now guys, so close!<br>..**


	17. Epilogue

**omgomgomgomg last chapter! This is it! omg I'm gonna miss you guys so much! D':**

**_Everyone_**** who has reviewed, faved, subscribed or has just dropped by, I LOVE YOU!** **Honestly I do!** **It means the world to me that you actually enjoy reading this stuff because I love to write it!**

**I've started another Klaine fic called 'Since we were Boys' and it would mean a lot to me if you could check it out! But if not, then I completely understand!**

**lovelovelovelove! Klaine kisses for all!**

* * *

><p>It was Sunday afternoon and the two lay on Kurt's bed, Blaine underneath and Kurt's face resting gently on his chest. He felt every vibration as Blaine softly hummed to himself, felt each and every rise and fall of his chest. It was difficult to believe that this was real. That his mind hadn't just conjured up this perfect place where nothing hurt and everything was <em>Blaine<em>. His door was open under strict instruction from his father but it barely took anything away from the intimate moment. It was almost scary how quickly he had become entirely attached to him and how dependant he had become. Kurt had always prided himself on being a singular. On being the only openly gay kid at school, being the most outlandishly dressed every day, having the highest singing voice out of all the guys in glee…the list goes on. But being with Blaine made him realize that it was okay to be dependent on other people, it didn't mean he was weak, it just made him stronger. The bullies at school didn't seem half as threatening knowing that Blaine was just a phone call away if ever he needed to just talk.

Of course there was still Karofsky. He'd gone beyond the realms of just 'bully' and he felt unsafe whenever he so much as thought the name. He wasn't sure what was going to happen or if things would ever get resolved, but he could make it through each day knowing that Blaine was there for him and Blaine _cared_ despite the constant fear every time he heard a locker slam and the cautious glances he made whenever he turned a corner. Just in case.

Blaine had spoken about Dalton a lot, and Kurt found it difficult to believe that such a place could exist. Their zero tolerance policy was extremely appealing and Kurt wished that McKinley could enforce something like that. But Dalton Academy was a private all boys' school and McKinley High was a public school and that pretty much summed it up. Parents weren't paying hundreds of dollars every semester for their kids to attend McKinley so the teachers didn't do an awful lot to make sure the students were happy.

Kurt knew he couldn't ask his dad to send him to Dalton though, the cost was just too steep. As tempting as it sounded, being in the same place as Blaine every day _and_ not having to fear for his life, it wasn't something he ever brought up because he _knew_ it would never happen. He also considered his friends, he wasn't sure if he could just leave them.

Kurt clutched his fingers around the soft material of Blaine shirt as he absent-mindedly played with his hair. Very few people had permission to touch Kurt's hair yet he felt Blaine should be granted that privilege. He'd re-groom himself later.

"I can't believe the judges decided on a tie," Blaine said offhandedly. Kurt turned his head to face the other and blinked several times before realizing what he was talking about. "I've never heard of a duo-win at Sectionals before, seems like a bit of a cop-out," Kurt giggled softly and Blaine squeezed him tighter, loving the feel of Kurt against his chest.

"To be honest, I'm relieved it turned out that way. If Crawford won then that means _we'd_ lose, and being within 50 feet of Rachel after we lose a show choir competition is practically a death sentence," Kurt explained and Blaine laughed, clearly unaware of how serious Kurt was being. "On the other hand," he continued, sighing, "I'd feel awful if we beat them because of…what I did. At least now we can both have a clean slate at Regionals."

"And if The Warblers win next weekend we'll be competing against you too," he said with a sly grin. "Maybe you should come and spy on us." He added in a considerably lower tone.

"I think you're forgetting the 'sexy' performance you guys did, I already know all of your warbler secrets," Kurt replied teasingly, moving his head from Blaine's chest to rest on his shoulder instead.

"Are we flirting?" Blaine asked, sounding serious though Kurt couldn't help but laugh. He had never flirted with anyone before and he was surprised at how easy it was with Blaine, he did it without even thinking.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"I'm going to kiss you now." Blaine admitted, leaning closer, closing his eyes in anticipation.

Kurt had other ideas however as he brought his hand up to place a finger against Blaine's lips, stopping him in his tracks immediately. Blaine's eyes opened in a panic, a look of rejection and confusion obvious in his eyes.

"Wait," Kurt said, picking himself up off of the bed and exiting his bedroom, leaving Blaine staring after him longingly.

"Kurt?"

Kurt tiptoed to the staircase and quickly scanned what he could see of the living room from where he was, checking that his dad and Finn were still completely engaged by the television and he knew that Carole was still at work. Silently, he made his way back to the bedroom, closing his door as quietly as possible and made his way back over to the bed.

"Your dad does know I'm here, right?" Blaine asked worriedly, he still hadn't actually met Kurt's father but he desperately didn't want to get on the wrong side of him.

"Of course," Kurt said, arranging himself so he was back to their previous position, gesturing for Blaine to do the same which he did though a little uncertainly. "I just don't want any interruptions or distractions this time. I…I want to think of _this_ as our first real kiss," he admitted a little shyly, though Blaine seemed to completely understand as he leaned in once more. There was nothing standing in the way this time as his lips gently met Kurt's, reclaiming the familiar territory yet exploring as if it was a completely foreign land. There was no tongue, it wasn't lust-filled and their breathing remained somewhat steady despite a few shaky inhales. They'd had far more intimate kisses, more desperate, hotter embraces but this was by far the best in Kurt's mind. He had nothing to hide; he was entirely Blaine's without any ramifications, no secrets and no lies.

This was the first time there were fireworks.

**..**


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